Beauty and the Beast
by musiccitymel
Summary: Beauty and the Beast reimagined in the world of The Walking Dead
1. It's the End

Negan couldn't believe what he was seeing. It sounded as if he were under water. Sherry fell to her knees on the other side of where Lucille's lifeless body lain in the dirt. She appeared to be screaming but Negan couldn't hear anything. Couldn't feel anything.

Lucille, his beautiful wife, was gone. He collapsed to his knees beside her. Shaking with despair, he reached out and clutched her slender hand in his own and surveyed the scene. Blood was pooled all around him and splattered upon Lucille's light blue t-shirt. Strands of auburn hair covered the place where her head would have been if there had been anything left of it.

He let his fingers lightly touch the curly tendrils as his eyes tried to process what they were taking in. Silent tears fell down his cheeks. Brain matter and flesh were all over the ground as if a small explosion had gone off. Then, something caught his eye just above where Lucille's head would have been: a lone baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire lay covered in blood, flesh, and strands of auburn hair.

* * *

"Help! Over here! Help! Run!" Daryl yelled, waving his hands through the darkness of the field, trying to flag down the others. "Hang in there, buddy" he said as he dropped down beside the figure that was writhing in pain.

As Belle ran, Daryl's outline came into view and her flashlight illuminated his frightened face. Frantically, her gaze shifted to the moaning body laying in the grass."Daddy!" Belle cried falling to her knees next to her father in the middle of the field.

"Dale!" Andrea screamed as she sank to the ground wrapping her arms around Belle. They were quickly joined by the other members of their group. Dale's insides were now displayed outside his chest and blood continued to pour out of him. Belle sobbed as her father searched her face with panicked eyes. She reached down and held his hand as Rick knelt on the other side of him.

"Listen to me. Come on," Rick said trying to mask the fear in his voice. "Okay? Just listen to my voice." Dale's eyes found Rick's face but all he could manage in response was a pained groan as his body twisted in agony. "Hershel! We need Hershel! Dale, we're gonna help. Just hold on!"

"What happened?" Hershel couldn't hide the alarm on his face.

Glenn knelt beside Dale, his voice shaking as he tried to console his friend. "Dale, it's gonna be ok."

"What can we do?" Rick swiped nervously at the sweat forming on his brow. "Can we move him?"

"He won't make the trip," Hershel said gently.

Rick's eyes were wild with terror as he jumped to his feet. "You have to do the operation here. Glenn, get back to the house!"

"Rick," Hershel said pointedly, gripping his shoulder and looking him in the eyes.

"No!" Rick sobbed, putting his head in his hands. Without saying a word, Hershel was letting him know there was no way Dale would make it out of this alive. His friend was as good as dead.

"Daddy!" Belle whimpered, reaching out to caress her father's cheek. "Rick! Please do something!" She pleaded through her tears, her body racked with sobs.

Andrea looked at Rick as she held Belle tightly. "He's suffering! Do Something!"

Rick pulled out his python, loading a round into the chamber. With tears in his eyes, he stood above Dale aiming the gun at his forehead. "Oh God…." Rick's face was grief stricken and his hand began to tremble.

Daryl gently took the gun from his hand. He looked wistfully at Belle before kneeling next to Dale with the gun to his head. "Sorry, brother."


	2. Of the World

"They got away!" Dwight said, out of breath. "I tried to catch them! I tried to shoot them! But they were too fast. They took the truck. Martinez and the others are gone too." His eyes settled on the scene in front of him. "Oh God." He sucked in a breath and placed a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder.

"This is all my fault!" Sherry sobbed, sinking down until her head was resting in the bend of Lucille's lifeless knee.

Simon was only a couple of steps behind Dwight. "Fuck," he exclaimed, putting his head in his hands. "Lucille!"

"What the fuck happened?" Negan asked as tears streaked down his cheeks unchecked. He still hadn't let go of Lucille's hand.

"It was Merle," Sherry choked out. "I heard yelling and then I heard her scream. We got here just in time to see him hit her then he and Phillip took off. D had to go back for his gun and they ran! I came to her, Negan, but it was too late. It happened so fast! I'm so sorry!"

Simon began to pace about the camp, looking around instinctively. He pushed his way into the battered tent they used to store what little supplies they had. Every last weapon they had procured was gone. All that remained in the tent were a couple of bottles of water and a can of peaches. "Everything is gone!" Simon called out. "They took everything! Lucille must have tried to stop them."

"Why was she alone?" Negan's jaw tightened.

Sherry let out a loud sob. "I'm so sorry, Negan!"

His eyes narrowed at her and he could feel a fury rising in his chest. "WHY THE FUCK WAS SHE ALONE, SHERRY?"

Dwight spoke up softly. "Because of me. I wanted some time alone with Sherry. I asked Lucille if she could keep watch for just a few minutes by herself. I thought…"

"You know fucking well we aren't supposed to keep watch fucking alone!" Negan yelled before he could even finish his sentence. "She refused to ever use a fucking gun! All she would ever use was that goddamn bat! You know she couldn't keep watch alone with just that motherfucking bat, Dwight! She has never even fucking hurt anything besides one of the lurkers!"

"I'm so sorry." Dwight cowered, looking at Negan with pleading eyes. "I thought it was just the three of us. Merle and Philip were supposed to be trying to find water but.."

"But I guess they fucking weren't, were they?" Negan glared up at Dwight. "While you were off getting your dick sucked my wife got fucking beat to fucking goddamn death!"

"I'm sorry, Negan." Dwight said in a hoarse whisper, a single tear rolling down his face. "It was an honest mistake. Lucille seemed confident. I thought everyone was gone! We weren't even gone for half an hour! I never would have thought…."

"You sure as fuck didn't fucking think!" Negan shouted, a sob escaping his chest. "She could hardly defend her fucking self, let alone this camp! I fucking trusted you, Dwight! I asked you to look out for her!" He lowered his head into his hands.

"Negan, I.." Dwight began, but Negan immediately cut him off.

"You're fucking sorry. I know." He sighed deeply. "Please. Just give me a moment alone with my fucking wife."

Dwight nodded solemnly before helping Sherry to her feet and guiding her away from Negan and Lucille's body.

"I'm sorry, boss," Simon said gently, placing a hand on Negan's shoulder.

"I need a minute." Negan's voice was barely a whisper. Simon headed in the direction Dwight and Sherry went, giving him the privacy he needed. Negan looked over Lucille's body, still in utter disbelief.

Just this morning she had kissed him sleepily before he left with Simon on the run. He had been hesitant to leave her after the news she had shared with him the night before. "Doll, maybe I should send Dwight out instead. He's a dumb fuck, but he'll manage. I should really be here fucking watching out for you."

Lucille had rolled her eyes, propping herself up on one elbow. "I'm pregnant. Not helpless!" She giggled, reaching her hand up to touch his face. "And you're going to have to stop saying 'fuck' so much! The baby can hear that, you know!"

"Well, fucking excuse me for living, babydoll. But you just said fuck, too." Negan grinned at her and placed a hand sweetly on her belly. "We're having a fucking baby!"

Before Negan left on the run, he approached Dwight who was keeping watch near the supply tent. "Dwighty boy, I need a favor."

"Sure thing, Negan." Dwight nodded.

"Keep an eye on my wife, ok? She likes to think she's tough but we both fucking know she couldn't hit the broad side of a goddamn barn with that fucking Louisville slugger. Don't leave her alone. Martinez is taking a group out hunting soon while Philip and Merle go looking for water. Simon and I are going to look for some supplies back at that old Sav-a-Lot we passed up before we decided to set up camp. I think we need to try to stock up on supplies to stay here for a few days while we try to make a plan for something more permanent." Negan gave Dwight a hard pat on the back. "So what do you say? Keep an eye on Lucille for me?"

"Of course!" Dwight replied, looking around cautiously. "But what about the others?"

Negan lowered his voice so that no one would hear what he was about to say. "If they get back before I do, don't let them out of your fucking sight. We will be back this afternoon." Negan, Dwight, and Simon had been growing suspicious of the newest members of their group, Merle Dixon and Philip Blake. Though the small group of people had all gravitated to Negan as their leader, Merle and Philip clearly resented the choice. Philip would make cutting remarks trying to undermine Negan's intelligence, but he always chose to overlook it. Despite his gruff presence, Negan truly cared about people and wanted to help and protect others. Neither Philip or that hillbilly Merle were his favorite people, but he had accepted them as members of the group. Recently he had noticed a shift amongst the circle. Everyone but Dwight, Sherry, Simon and Lucille had seemed to be walking on eggshells around him. It was as if they all knew something he didn't. But he had pushed the thought out of his mind and focused on keeping the group safe. Now, it all made sense. Philip and Merle had been planning to take over the group the entire time. They were just biding their time until Negan was away so they could steal everything they had.

"Lucille," He said her name like a prayer. He knew Lucille had had died trying to protect everything they had. Negan could feel a rage building inside of him. "You made me soft, baby. Before you I could fucking sniff out a goddamn rat, but you got inside my head. People aren't fucking good. _You_ were good. The last goddamn good thing in this world. I didn't deserve you, honey. But now you're fucking gone. And the whole fucking world is going to pay." He finally released Lucille's hand and reached out to retrieve the baseball bat laying near her. He gripped it tightly as he rose to his feet, blood dripping from the wood. "Everyone is going to fucking pay."


	3. As We Know It

Belle sat wordlessly at the dinette in her father's camper, her eyes puffy and swollen from crying. A worn copy of her father's favorite book, _The Great Gatsby,_ sat open in front of her, but she couldn't even begin to try to read it. She delicately touched the pages as she recalled how her dad had made sure that in addition to basic necessities, the RV was stocked with dozens of books. He knew that books were just as essential to his daughter as water or air. Hot tears began to spill over onto Belle's cheeks. Less than 24 hours had passed since her dad had been savagely ripped apart by a walker. There was nothing that could have been done. Even though it was the hardest thing she had ever had to witness, she was thankful that Daryl had the courage to end Dale's suffering. She was thankful for this group of people that surrounded her. They had all been nearby, but were giving her some much needed space to grieve. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of soft footsteps entering the RV.

She looked up as Rick, the group's leader, sat next to her placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Belle, I…" he drawled. "I'm really sorry about what happened with your father. I wish there had been something I could have done. If I had just gotten to him a little sooner."

Belle placed her hand on top of his. "You did everything you could. It couldn't be helped. I know that. _He_ knew that." She saw tears in his eyes as he cleared his throat.

"Your father was a good man. I know we didn't see eye to eye on everything. But your dad….," Rick trailed off and looked up at Belle giving her shoulder a squeeze. "You're one of us now. We're going to keep you safe. I promise you that."

"Damn right we are." Daryl's gravelly voice came from the door of the camper. Belle gave a slight smile in response. Daryl looked at Rick meaningfully before dropping his gaze to the floor. Rick pulled Belle into him and kissed her paternally on top of her head. "We'll start the memorial in just a few minutes. Take your time." With a solemn nod towards Daryl, Rick quietly exited the camper.

Daryl made his way to sit beside Belle and looked down at his hands that were folded in his lap. He had never been a man that was in touch with his emotions. That was, until this group that he considered family came along. Before the end of the world, Daryl was mostly a loner with the exception of his older brother Merle. They grew up in a rundown old house on the outskirts of Moultree, GA with an abusive alcoholic father. Their mom took off when Daryl was just five years old. Though Daryl considered Merle his closest bond, he sustained even more abuse from his brother. Until connecting with this group of survivors and getting to know them, he hadn't realized just how disturbing his upbringing and pre-apocalyptic life had been. He was just beginning to know what it felt like to be accepted and loved though that terrified him far more than any of the abuse he had endured. Now he realized he truly had something to lose. These people who just months ago had been complete strangers now meant the world to him.

"You ok?" Belle's voice broke the silence as she peered up at him.

"Mmhm," he grunted with a light nod. "I should be asking you that."

Belle nodded in response, her eyes threatening to fill with a fresh set of tears. "I never thanked you for what you did."

"Don't have to. It's what we do for our own." Daryl replied. He felt his face soften as he looked at the heartbroken young woman in front of him. He had really just begun to get to know Belle. He knew she was a kindhearted girl who often had her nose stuck in a book. He also knew how close she was with her father.

Belle looked down at her hands as she closed the book on the table in front of her. "I'm all alone. Now that Daddy's gone, I'm all alone."

"Nah ya ain't." Daryl placed his hand on top of hers in a gesture of tenderness that surprised even himself. "Rick, Lori, Carl, Andrea, Glenn, everybody….we're your family. You ain't never gonna be alone long as I live. I promise you that."

Belle, taken aback by Daryl's benevolence, smiled up at him. He gave her hand a firm squeeze as he gestured his head toward the RV door. "C'mon."

"Dale could…could get under your skin. He sure got under mine, because he wasn't afraid to say exactly what he thought, how he felt. That kind of honesty is rare and brave. Whenever I'd make a decision, I'd look at Dale. He'd be looking back at me with that look he had. We've all seen it one time or another. I couldn't always read him, but he could read us." Rick eulogized Dale to the group around him as they stood in a circle around his grave. The wind rustled the leaves of the old maple tree that shaded them as the sun set.

Belle, who stood between Rick and Daryl, stifled a sob. Daryl reached down and held her hand in his.

Rick continued, "He saw people for who they were. He knew things about us. The truth; who we really are. In the end, he was talking about losing our humanity. He said this group was broken. The best way to honor him is to unbreak it. Set aside our differences and pull together, stop feeling sorry for ourselves and take control of our lives, our safety, our future. We're not broken. We're gonna prove him wrong. From now on we're gonna do it his way. That is how we honor Dale." He looked earnestly at Belle as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Belle felt Daryl squeeze her hand and she glanced up to find him looking at her sweetly. He nodded at her in an unspoken promise and she softly nodded in return. She scanned the faces around her that all looked lovingly back at her. Belle's gaze returned to Daryl whose eyes had still not left her. In that moment she knew that she would never be alone. In this group of fellow survivors and in Daryl Dixon she had found a family.

* * *

Present Day

"Hi," Spencer Monroe said to his reflection in his bathroom mirror. "Hi. Hi! Hiiii…." He smiled awkwardly as he practiced this simple greeting to himself.

Today was the day that he was finally going to ask Belle over for dinner. He'd had his eye on her since Rick's group first arrived in Alexandria a few weeks ago. Spencer was certain that tonight would seal the deal and Belle would be his.

He ran a hand through his dark brown hair and puffed out his chest before giving himself one last glance. He pointed to his reflection as a cheesy grin spread over his face. "Hiiii," he crooned once more before heading out in the evening air in search of Belle.

* * *

"Hey, sunshine!" Daryl greeted Belle as he bounded up the front porch steps of the house they shared with Rick, Michonne, Carl, and Judith. He stopped and sat down just before he got to the top step that Belle was seated on. She was seated reading a book with her legs outstretched across the step. He hoisted his crossbow over Belle's legs and placed it on the porch as he began to rummage through his black backpack. "Whatcha readin' today?"

Belle laid her book down beside her as she leaned back into the porch railing and sighed dramatically. "Only my favorite book of all time! A tale of two star crossed lovers in fair Verona!"

"Ew," Daryl grunted. "Sounds disgustin'."

Belle giggled and punched him playfully in the arm. She loved the ease of their conversations. Over the years since her dad passed, she had grown extremely close to the members of their group. But none closer than Daryl who had made good on his promise that she would never be alone as long as he lived. He had taken her under his wing, teaching her to track and hunt. He became her fearless protector. She had grown to love him like a brother. Though he had never said so outright, Belle knew he loved her too. Daryl Dixon had never been the best at expressing his feelings in words but he always found ways to show Belle he cared.

Daryl turned to her, a strand of dark brown hair falling into his eyes. He plopped a thick book into her lap. "Gotcha somethin'."

" _Twilight?!"_ Belle gasped and put her hand to her chest in feigned outrage. "What kind of girl do you take me for, Dixon?!"

"You'll read it and you'll like it." Daryl chuckled as he zipped his backpack and tossed it carelessly onto the porch beside his crossbow. He stuck his tongue out at her.

Belle laughed heartily as she leaned forward and hugged Daryl around his shoulders, resting her face against his. "I love it. Thank you."

He gave her a small wink. He knew how much she loved to read and always tried to bring her books he found on his runs. "I passed your boyfriend on my way back home. He looked like he was headed this way."

She groaned outwardly and rolled her eyes. "Spencer is _not_ my boyfriend." Though handsome, Belle also found Spencer to be smarmy and annoying which immediately turned her off. When they had first arrived at Alexandria she had been reading _Pride and Prejudice_ for the seventeenth time. She told Spencer he looked like a real life Mr. Darcy. "Who's she?" Spencer had responded. Belle had stared blankly at him and simply walked away. However, he had taken a strong liking to Belle in the time Rick's group had been there. He always found excuses to strike up conversations with her that left Belle wondering how he had possibly survived this long.

"You sure about that?" Daryl chided gesturing his head towards Spencer who was striding up the sidewalk. Daryl had to stifle a laugh at Belle's pained expression.

"Belle!" Spencer called from the foot of the stairs. "Hiiiii."

"Oh, hey, Spencer!" Belle said trying to muster up a smile as she climbed to her feet. "How's it going?"

"It's wonderful! I'm having a really good hair day!" Spencer tossed his head to the side for effect.

A snort escaped from Daryl which he immediately tried to cover with a cough. Belle glared down at him. He was enjoying this far too much.

"That's….great!" Belle pressed her lips together to keep from saying something rude. "Well, thanks for stopping by to say hello!"

"Actually, I was just about to make some of my famous beef jerky stroganoff!" Spencer beamed up at her. "I was hoping you might care to join me!"

"That's so…..inventive!" Belle offered. "What a creative substitution!"

"Oh I don't have to substitute anything!" Spencer stated proudly placing his hands on his hips. "This recipe has been winning hearts for years." He smiled widely up at her. "So what do you say, Belle?"

"I…uh….I…." Belle stammered trying desperately to think of an excuse.

"Belle's helping me tonight." Daryl interjected, standing up. "Can't have you being the only guy with good lookin' hair 'round here. Belle agreed to give me a haircut tonight. Right, Belle?" He looked at her pointedly with a smirk.

"Uh…right! Yes, that's right. No can do tonight, Spencer! Maybe some other time?" Belle said sounding a little too relieved.

"Right…" Spencer trailed off eyeing Daryl suspiciously. "Well, Belle, I would love for you to join me for dinner another night this week. I want to talk to you about taking our relationship to the next level."

Daryl let out another snort without even trying to disguise it, but Spencer didn't seem to notice.

"Our relationship?" Belle questioned cautiously.

"We have been talking for some time now. And clearly you're crazy about me." Spencer grinned, shoving his hands in his pockets in a failed attempt at seeming modest. "Don't you think it's about time we made it official?"

Belle's eyes were wide with surprise. "Spencer, I am so sorry if I've given you the wrong impression, but I'm not interested in you in that way."

"In what way?" Spencer inquired, still not taking the hint.

"In _any_ way," she replied. Slowly, Belle stepped backward until her back was beside the front door. Daryl followed her lead, picking up his crossbow and backpack and going inside.

"We would make a great couple, you know. You could move in with me. I have lots of extra space in my house and one day we could fill that space with lots of babies!" Spencer straightened the collar on his navy blue polo as he climbed the stairs in pursuit of her. "Belle, I don't think I have to tell you what a catch I am!"

Belle's hand was already on the knob pulling the door open. "Spencer, I'm speechless. I really don't know what to say."

Spencer leaned in to her propping his hand on the wall next to her head, trapping her beside the door. "Say you'll think about it."

"Spencer, I….I….." Belle stammered as she finally got a grip on the doorknob, flinging it open. "I just don't deserve you!" With that, Belle moved quickly through the front door slamming it behind her.

She pressed her back into the door and sighed loudly. Daryl snickered, leaning against the wall beside the front entrance. Belle narrowed her eyes at him. "Did you mean what you said about the haircut?"

Daryl's lips twitched into a grin. "Hell naw."

* * *

"It never gets easier." Simon solemnly admitted to Dwight as he moved green beans around his dinner plate with a fork. He and Dwight sat alone at the end of a long table in the mess hall of the Sanctuary. They sat side by side leaving a lot of space between them and the other Saviors. Because they were two of the original Saviors they tended to stay to themselves. The newest prisoners just didn't understand Sanctuary life or Negan quite the way they did.

"It never will." The two men looked up to see Arat, one of the few female lieutenants of Negan's regime lay her tray down across from Simon. "I never thought I would be someone that other people feared. I certainly never wanted to be." She tucked a loose curl of her two toned black and blonde hair behind her ear.

Simon, Dwight, Arat and seven other saviors had just returned from a supply pick up from Hilltop, a community about 20 miles west of the Sanctuary. They all chewed quietly, too emotionally spent to even look up at one another. Though there were a few exceptions, most of the Saviors despised this way of living.

After Negan's wife Lucille had been murdered in cold blood, something inside him snapped. The vulgar man with a kind heart had been replaced by a ruthless dictator. He adopted the baseball bat used to bludgeon his wife as his signature weapon. He named it Lucille in tribute and began coddling 'her' as if 'she' were almost human. Paired with his brute strength, Negan had become an unstoppable force to be feared. Everyone at the compound, new and old alike, became prisoners to Negan's every whim. Though he did provide necessities and a certain level of protection to his captives, he commanded them to work for what they had. Some became trusted members of his regime while others worked doing menial jobs for points they could redeem for supplies. Outside groups that the Saviors encountered had to pay tribute to Negan in the form of resources or personnel. Any woman that Negan deemed worthy became one of his many wives. Some joined his harem by choice while others were ultimately forced to join in order to save their loved ones. The wives were held to the highest regard by the bat wielding mad man and not forced to work. The rules of being a wife were simple: never cheat on him. Anyone, wife or otherwise, who dared to betray Negan would be punished.

"How's dinner tonight, loves?" came the cheerful chirp of Ruth Potts' voice as she gently placed a hand on both Simon and Dwight.

"Delicious as always, Mrs. P." Simon replied with a genuine smile. Mrs. Potts was the head chef in the kitchen at the sanctuary. She took pride in her cooking and enjoyed caring for the other people living at the compound. Though widowed, she insisted that everyone still call her Mrs. Potts.

"Miss Arat!" Suddenly, Arat was tackled in a huge hug by Mrs. Potts' seven year old son Chip. "Did you find any comic books for me when you went out today?" He beamed up at her expectantly.

Arat's face broke into a smile as she ruffled the boy's thick red hair and pulled him into a hug. "I didn't find any comic books but I did manage to find an old soccer ball! If your mom says its ok, we can go play after dinner!"

Mrs. Potts looked down lovingly at Arat and nodded. After Simon, Dwight, and Sherry, Mrs. Potts, Arat, and Chip were the first people to be chosen by Negan to join the Saviors. Soon after Lucille's death they came across a camp that had been overrun by the dead. Negan found Mrs. Potts, Chip, and Arat seeking shelter in an old abandoned Volkswagen trying to wait out the herd of zombies. Though Negan was already well on his way to becoming the angry tyrant he was today, they still witnessed glimpses of the man he once was. Despite his savage ways, Negan had a soft spot for the widowed mother and her charming little boy and they for him. Mrs. Potts feared the wrath of Negan for other people, but he had been good to her and her son. Knowing that Chip was now without a father, he demonstrated a certain tenderness with him that he didn't have with others.

Upon learning the bruises on Arat's face and neck at the time they were found were the result of an abusive boyfriend, Negan vowed to make sure she would know how to protect herself from there on out. He trained her himself and Arat quickly moved up the ranks as one of his most trusted lieutenants. Though she loved how empowered Negan made her feel, she hated being the cause of other people feeling fearful.

"You better eat all of your vegetables so you can go play with Arat!" Mrs. Potts told a very excited and impatient Chip.

"Aw, do I have to?!" Chip pouted, sticking out his bottom lip.

"Now, Chip, what have I told you about pouting?" Mrs. Potts gently chided her son. "That'll be enough out of you!"

"Dwight!" Chip exclaimed, not at all phased by his mother's scolding. "Do you wanna come play too?!"

Dwight turned to face Chip, an old poorly healed burn covered the majority of the left side of his face. He couldn't help but to grin at the young boy. "Of course!" Despite how grim things were, Chip's presence brought a lot of joy to the Saviors compound. There were few children there and Chip was the youngest.

"Actually, D…..I mean Dwight…" Sherry, who had just walked up to hear this invitation, caught herself as she fell into the familiarity of calling her former husband by his nickname. "Negan needs to see you and Simon."

"Sorry, bud." Dwight apologized to Chip. "I'll make it up to you though."

"Sherry, hon, I haven't seen you all week. Are you alright?" Mrs. Potts grabbed her into a warm hug.

Sherry looked wistfully at Dwight. "I'm ok, Mrs. P. Negan has just been very….demanding this week. He has nightmares…..about Lucille. They've been bad this week. He's been keeping all of us up at night ranting and raving. Now he's wanting to finalize the plan of attack on that group from Alexandria."

Mrs. Potts nodded and sighed softly. "I would give anything if Negan had someone in his life he felt like he could talk to."

"Negan talks _plenty_." Simon chuckled. They all laughed softly. Negan was definitely known for his incessant talking and the use of certain choice four letter words.

"Yes, I know. He talks a lot but doesn't really say anything, now does he?" Mrs. Potts frowned. "I wish he had someone he could confide in. I know he hasn't always been like this. Losing his wife the way he did….that was the death of him."

"It's hard to believe how much he's changed…" Dwight lamented. "How much we've all changed." He looked up sorrowfully at Sherry who averted her gaze.

"How much who changed?!" Chip cried excitedly. "Who, mama?!"

Mrs. Potts patted her energetic son on the head, but ignored his line of questioning. "Having love in your life makes all the difference." Mrs. Potts said sweetly, smiling down at Chip's face. "Whatever form it may come in. I know he has his faults and he's done some indefensible things. But I can't help but believe that the old Negan is still in there and he isn't this tyrant of a man we see now. That underneath it all is a man that is heart broken and afraid. He needs love in his life. We all do."

Dwight responded to Mrs. Potts without taking his eyes off Sherry. "Yeah, well, I'm beginning to think love isn't a luxury we can afford anymore."

"Dwight, love," Mrs Potts said, placing a hand maternally atop his head. "We can all afford love. We all deserve love; even the worst of us! Negan may seem like a monster, but deep down he has a big heart. I have to believe the right person could help him learn what it is to love again."

"If he ever did…..can you imagine?" Simon looked hopefully at the faces surrounding him. "I might get my best friend back. Instead of this angry fuck!"

"Moooooommmmm!" Chip howled. "Simon said a bad word!"

"Sorry, bud." Simon said to Chip before turning back to the others. "I know it's crazy, but I have wondered what would happen if he ever found someone. He was a different person when he had Lucille, you know? She kept him grounded and on the straight and narrow. He wasn't this…monster."

Mrs. Potts nodded emphatically. "If he could find love again, he might change. Things might even change for us here. We might be…."

"Set free." Sherry interjected as her eyes rose to meet Dwight's. She held his gaze for a moment before Arat's voice brought them back to the conversation at hand.

"Look, guys, I hate to burst your bubble but I don't know that anyone could ever love Negan. Especially not in that kind of way." Arat sighed. "Look around! This place is filled to the brim with people who are terrified of him and there are more coming in against their will every day. That doesn't exactly make for a love connection. We are the few that know there's more to the guy. And even we struggle with him! Most people see him as a beast!"

"You're right. It's a crazy thought." Simon murmured as he rose from his seat. Dwight nodded silently in agreement as he stood and stared regretfully at Sherry who returned his gaze.

"I hate to give in to despair and lose all hope." Mrs. Potts sighed as she placed a comforting hand on Arat's shoulder. "But you're right. Who could ever learn to love a beast?"


	4. Fire and Brimstone

"You guys! Take a look at my dirty girl! Sweetheart, lay your eyes on this!" Negan's voice boomed as he dangled the barbed wire wrapped bat he called Lucille, dripping with Abraham's blood, in front of Rosita. "He just took one or six or seven for the team! So take a damn look!" Rosita, who had been with Abraham until their relationship came to an abrupt end just a few short days prior, could not bring herself to look up. But Negan would not be deterred. "Take a damn look!"

Before I even realized what was happening, Daryl rose to his feet beside me and nailed Negan with a right hook to the face. Three other Saviors had him pinned to the ground in a matter of seconds. My heart shattered as I saw his body twist in pain. "Daryl!" I cried. "Please! Stop! Please don't hurt him!"

My body automatically began to lurch forward toward him, but Glenn's arms wrapped firmly around me before I could even make it off the ground. I heard his shaky whisper in my ear. "Belle, don't."

"Daryl!" Rick gasped, his entire body trembling with fear. I knew that his fear was my fear. After what Negan had just done to our Abraham, we were deathly afraid we would lose Daryl too.

"Oh my! That is a no-no! The whole thing! Not one bit of that shit flies here!" Negan barked, hoisting the bat in front of him emphatically.

"You want me to do it?" snarled Dwight, one of the saviors with the dirty blonde hair and a burn scar on the side of his face. He had Daryl's crossbow pointed at him. "Right here?"

"No, you don't kill that. Not until you try a little." Negan pulled hard on Daryl's hair and he growled in agony. I could barely contain my sobs seeing him in so much pain. He had already lost so much blood due to the gunshot wound to his left shoulder inflicted earlier by Dwight. I had never seen him look so beaten down with despair and I was terrified.

"And anyway….that's not how it works." Negan nodded back towards the line up of our group and the saviors returned Daryl on his knees to his spot beside me. I wanted to reach out to him but I was frozen with fear. He looked at me shaken, our eyes searching each other's through our tears.

"Now, I already told you people— first one's free, then what'd I say? I said, I would shut that shit down! No exceptions. Now, I don't know what kind of lying assholes you've been dealing with, but I'm a man of my word. First impressions are important. I need you to know me! So back to it!" Suddenly Negan brought his bat down with a loud crack to Glenn's skull just to my right. I shrieked, unable to process what was happening in front of me. I felt something warm and wet splatter across my face as Negan brought the bat down a second time. _Glenn's blood._ I could hear his wife Maggie's feral cry as I watched the horrific scene play out next to me. The blunt force of his injuries had caused his left eye to protrude from its socket.

"Maggie…..I…..will find you." Glenn stammered out. All of the sounds around me began to run together, muffled, as if I were trapped under water. He was suffering. Right here in front of all of us. And Maggie…Sweet Maggie. I recalled how happy she had been when she shared the news of her pregnancy just days before. We had made this journey to see the doctor at the neighboring Hilltop community after she had become very ill. Maggie began having sharp pains that we had become terribly concerned were contractions. She might be losing her baby and now, she would become a widow. Negan spoke again but I couldn't make out any words. Suddenly, I felt another splatter of blood across my face as the bat collided with Glenn's head again. Our family would never be the same.

* * *

"We did it! All of us, together. Even the dead guys on the ground! Hell, they get the spirit award for sure." Negan sighed, satisfied with himself. "Today was a productive damn day. Now, I hope for all your sake that you get it now; that you understand how things work. Things have changed. Whatever you had going for you….that is over now." He chuckled to himself and I wondered how a living soul could ever be so cruel.

"Dwight, load him up." Negan motioned casually in Daryl's direction as his henchmen obeyed, snatching him off the ground. Daryl looked at me frantically as they shoved him into the back of a black cargo van. My hand instinctively reached for him.

"No!" I cried softly. "Please stop!"

"He's got guts— not a little bitch like someone I know." Negan glanced knowingly in Rick's direction. "I like him. He's mine now. But you still want to try something? 'Not today, not tomorrow.' 'Not today, not tomorrow.' I will cut pieces off of…..hell's his name?"

"Daryl," recalled Simon, the savior that appeared to be Negan's righthand guy.

"Wow. That actually sounds right." Negan chortled. "I will cut pieces off of Daryl and put them on your doorstep. Or better yet, I will bring him to you and have you do it for me." He got in Rick's face, challenging him with his eyes. "Welcome to a brand-new beginning, you sorry shits! I'm gonna leave you a truck. Keep it. Use it to cart all the crap you're gonna find me. We'll be back for our first offering in one week. Until then….ta-ta!"

"Wait!" I shrieked, the sound of my own voice startling me.

Suddenly, Negan spun on his heel and looked at me as if noticing I was there for the first time. He slowly sauntered over and stood directly above me. "Well, well, well. What the fuck do we have here?"

"Please don't take him. Take me instead." I pleaded, meeting his inquiring gaze.

Negan leaned back on his heels and laughed heartily. "Sweetheart, now why in the fuckitty fuck would I do that?" He kneeled down in front of me, thoughtfully rubbing his salt and pepper beard between his fingers. "You are a beauty; I'll give you that. But why should I take you when Daryl is clearly more fucking capable of working for me?"

"Because he's injured." My voice shook as I spoke. "He's not much good to you with a gunshot wound. I can work for you instead. Just let him go."

Negan cocked his head to one side, looking me up and down. "Fucking Beauty here is willing to sacrifice herself for ole Dippity Daryl! Do ya hear that, boys?" He looked around to Dwight, Simon, and the other Saviors that still loomed around.

"Well, boss," Simon said. "That's certainly something to consider." I looked up in time to see a curious look flash across Simon's face. Was that hope I saw? And if so, why?

"Darlin', why the fuck on earth would you be willing to stick your pretty neck out for that piece of shit?" Negan's eyes gleamed with interest. "Are you two fuck buddies?"

"No," I answered. "He's my family. My best friend."

"Well, sweetheart, I'm awfully sorry about that. But I'm not sure I'm in the fucking mood to be bargained with."

"Everything Daryl can do, I can do. He taught me to hunt, fight, track…..He taught me everything." I choked back a sob. "He's injured and I'm not. If you want someone that can work for you, take me." Suddenly I became acutely aware of the distraught, worried faces around me.

"Please, don't do this." I heard Rick's frightened whisper.

"Damn! She's hot AND she can bring home the fucking bacon AND fry it in a pan!" Negan rubbed his hands together mischievously. "You gotta name, Beauty?"

"B….Belle," I stuttered in response as his intimidating gaze leaned in closer.

He bit his lip thoughtfully, appearing to consider my offer. "Well, Belle. You've got yourself a deal." He extended his arm and grabbed my small hand in his in a forced handshake before yanking me to my feet. He braced my body to his chest, my back pressed against him, with one arm across my shoulders. He kept Lucille propped prominently on his left shoulder. "Dwight, let Daryl out." I heard the muffled cries of Rick, Carl, Michonne, Maggie and the rest of our group.

Dwight eyed me curiously for a moment before opening the back door to the cargo van. He snatched Daryl out by his vest and pulled him to the ground. Daryl looked confused as he tried to gain his footing while his hands were held handcuffed behind his back. _I'm sorry,_ I mouthed to him.

"Daryl, in a fascinating turn of fucking events, the Governor called and granted you a stay of execution!" Negan taunted jovially. "Belle here pled your case. And seeing how you _are_ injured, you really aren't worth a shit fuck to me. Your proxy here volunteered to take your place."

"No!" Daryl protested sorrowfully, his breathing becoming shallow. "Belle, don't!"

"Fuck! It's already been decided, douche bag." Negan grinned. "We shook on it. A deal's a fucking deal. And as I've already shown you sorry fucks, I'm a man of my word!"

Daryl sobbed, his body shaking with emotion. "Belle…."

"Please let me say goodbye." I begged, tears streaming down my face.

I heard Negan sigh in my ear. "Only because I fucking like you, Beauty! You have 10 seconds." He released me with a light shove in Daryl's direction. I attempted to quickly take in the faces of my friends that were my family, though I could hardly make them out through my tears. Their chorus of cries and sobs were my mourning song.

I threw my arms around Daryl, pressing my cheek to his as he wept into my hair. Dwight released his hands and his ams instantly wrapped around me. I pulled back to look into his eyes and suddenly I was being lifted off the ground.

"Times up, sweetheart!" Negan said, tossing me over his shoulder as Dwight recaptured Daryl's hands.

"No!" Daryl pleaded, his weak body trying to break free of Dwight's grasp as he looked at me, grief-stricken. "Belle!"

My eyes connected with his and I said the words I had never said before. Words I never said because I stupidly thought there was more time. I thought we were invincible, but I was dead wrong. "I love you!" I said through my tears, my hands uselessly reaching out for him one last time. Negan effortlessly transferred me to the back of the cargo van and slammed the door. I placed my hands on the small back window willing them to reach past the glass.

The last thing I saw was Daryl's heartbroken face as he collapsed to his knees in the dirt.


	5. Sanctuary

The cargo van came to a slow stop and my stomach twisted with fear. A few moments later, the rear door opened to reveal Negan smiling with one hand extended toward me. " We are home sweet fucking home, Beauty!"

I ignored his outstretched hand, unable to hide my disdain as I hoisted myself out of the van. Negan, who was clearly annoyed by this, slammed Lucille down just inches from my feet. "Have we no fucking manners?"

I responded with a cold, unwavering stare. I may be his prisoner but I certainly wouldn't cower to this savage monster.

"It's an emotional time; I get it." he said with a chuckle. "You just need some rest and you will warm up to Sanctuary life in no fucking time, princess." He turned to Simon who had appeared at his side. "Take the lady to her room!"

 _My room?_ With a nod, Simon gripped my arm securely and began guiding me away from Negan and the cargo van. He steered me inside the gates of a chain link fence surrounding a large building that appeared to have once been a warehouse. "Welcome to the Sanctuary. I'm Simon, by the way." He said softly, looking down on me with a look that could only be described as pity. My eyes were drawn to the numerous walkers impaled in place along the outer perimeter of the fence. "It's like the ADT of the apocalypse!" Simon joked half heartedly, noticing where my gaze had settled. "I know it seems a little strange, but they add an extra layer of security."

I nodded, and shifted my gaze to the bountiful garden near the eastern side of the building. "Wow," I breathed before I realized I had even spoken aloud.

"Our garden is one of the things we are most proud of here." Simon explained, "We also have a smaller garden out back and some chicken coops."

As we entered the building, I was surprised to see that there lights working inside. He led me down several winding corridors as I tried to commit every twist and turn to memory. We finally came to a stop in front of a door, labeled #113. "Here we are!" Simon said warmly.

He opened the door to reveal what resembled an unassuming efficiency apartment. Inside the small space was a twin bed, a worn two person dinette, and a modest desk with a hutch. My eyes immediately took notice of the books organized within the hutch. A wooden dresser sat to the side of the bed with a lamp that illuminated the room. A look of confusion swept across my face as I took in my new living quarters, but Simon didn't seem to notice. "It's not much, but you should have everything you need here. Anything else, you can probably get from the market place that's in the court yard. We serve breakfast and dinner in the mess hall every day, too."

I spun on my heel to face Simon. "Wait…..so prisoners have rooms?"

"You don't deserve to be locked away in some cell. You volunteered to come here in place of your friend. The least we could do is try to make you a little more comfortable." Simon leaned back against the dinette table.

With a wary nod, I walked to the desk and ran my fingers along the spines of the books lined up in the hutch.

"There are a couple rules. Don't even attempt to escape. We have guards at every possible entrance and snipers on the roof." he instructed. "And don't go to the West Hall."

"What's in the West Hall?" I asked, my fingers landing on a copy of _The Great Gatsby._ I pulled the book from its respective place and clutched it to my chest.

"Those are Negan"s living quarters." He replied curtly. "He likes his privacy."

I snorted with righteous indignation as Simon crossed the room to stand beside me. He sighed as he looked down, his gaze softening. "We're not that different, Belle. We all have blood on our hands here. I'm not making excuses for Negan or even for myself. I know that some of what we've done is….unforgivable. But there are always two sides to every story."

I was taken back by the gentleness with which he spoke. Just a few hours before his leader was torturing my friends and now he was standing here giving me a room with better accommodations than a Holiday Inn.

"I'm going to leave you to rest for a bit." Simon said with a nod. "I'll send someone up to check on you a little later." With that, he closed the door softly behind him as he left. Craddling the book in my arms, I walked to the bed and sank down into the mattress. I thought of Daryl, our family, all we had just lost and cried myself into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

The only sounds that could be heard were birds chirping happily in the morning air, completely oblivious to the loss that had just occurred. The group sat in a stunned silence in Negan's wake, until finally Maggie slowly came to her feet. Pale with grief and pain, she began to take steps toward Glenn's remains.

"Maggie…" Rick pleaded. "Maggie, you need to sit down. Maggie…."

"No." she replied with a small sob.

"We need to get you to the Hilltop." Rick tried to reason, as he approached her with worried eyes.

"You need to get ready." Her voice was filled with fire, though physically her flame had all but burned out.

"For what?" he asked softly.

"To _fight_ them."

"They have Belle. Daryl is injured. They have an army. We would die. All of us."

" _Go home._ Take everybody with you. I can get there by myself. We have to fight and we have to get Belle back."

"You can barely stand up."

"I need to go. You need to go to Alexandria. You were out here for me."

"We still are." Rick whispered, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I can make it now. I need you to go back." Maggie clenched her fists, as if bracing herself for the impact of sorrow threatening to pummel her body. "I can't have you out here. I can't have you all out here anymore. I need you to go back."

"Maggie, we're not letting you go." Michonne stated, looking her in the eye. "Okay?"

"You have to."

"It's not gonna happen." Rick shook his head, his crystal blue eyes pooling with despair.

"I'm taking her." Sasha said, rising to her feet beside Maggie. She gripped her friend around the shoulders to steady her. "I'm taking her. I'm gonna get her there. I'm gonna keep her safe." Though Maggie had lost her husband, Sasha had also lost someone she had grown to love in Abraham. She knew Abraham, with his bullheaded ways would want her to continue the mission of getting Maggie to Hilltop. She also knew there was no place she wanted or needed to be more than protecting her friend. Sasha was unwavering as she looked at Maggie. "I'm not giving you a choice." Reluctantly, Maggie nodded her agreement. Sasha, Rosita, and Aaron tearfully moved to begin the process of moving Abraham's body to the truck left behind by the saviors.

"I'm taking him with me. That's what I'm gonna do." Maggie breathed sharply, as she leaned down over Glenn's body with the intent to carry him. "I need to do this. Please."

"We need to help you." Daryl's gravelly voice broke as he joined Maggie, placing a comforting hand on her arm.

"I got it." Carl said, coming to Maggie's other side. Though Negan had taken so much from this family of friends, he could not take the love they had for one another.

"No….no." Maggie fought, wanting to shoulder this burden alone.

"Please let us." Rick begged. "He's our family, too."

With that, the dam holding Maggie's sorrow broke as she collapsed into Daryl's waiting embrace. Rick, Carl, and Michonne carefully lifted Glenn's corpse and carried him to the truck.

"I'm so sorry, Maggie." Daryl wept into her shoulder. "I'm so sorry. This was my fault. It should have been me! If I hadn't been so damn stupid…." He trailed off, unable to finish his thoughts through his despair. They held each other for a few moments, both silently thinking about what was, what might have been and what would never be. Rick, Michonne, Carl, Aaron, Sasha and Rosita returned, encircling their two friends.

Maggie released herself from Daryl's grasp and looked him squarely in the eye. "We don't get to feel sorry for ourselves right now. Right now we have to do something." She gazed intently at the faces of her family staring back at her. "Sasha, Daryl, and I have to get to Hilltop. We're going to take Abraham and Glenn with us. You all need to get back to Alexandria and prepare the others." She looked back at Daryl, lovingly placing her hand on his cheek. "You need medical attention for that bullet wound. Then we can go back to Alexandria and get ready to fight together. We can't save Glenn or Abraham. But we can still save Belle. I'm hoping we can still save my baby. And we can still save each other."

Daryl's eyes shifted downward as his shoulders heaved with sobs. "Belle….She was….I...I thought we had time! I wasn't able to save her! I let her down!" His face was awash with anguish as he furiously wiped away at the dampness in his eyes. "She's my family…..I never told her I…"

" _Love_ her." Maggie completed his sentence for him, emphasizing the present tense of the word. "She knows, Daryl. She already knows."

* * *

"Do ya think she's gonna wake up soon?!" I heard a small voice whisper loudly. "She's been asleep forever!" Am I dreaming? Who do these voices belong to?

"Now, Chip," sang a motherly voice. "Be patient! The poor thing has had a rough go of it, love. Negan wants us to keep an eye on her and make sure she's alright."

Hearing his name made my eyes fly open, suddenly realizing I was not dreaming. I remembered exactly where I was and how I got there. Panic began to set in as my body jolted upright.

"HI!" The tiny voice I had heard was right in front of me in the form of a red headed young boy with wild, red hair. His freckles stretched to his ears as he grinned at me. "You were asleep foreeeeever! Are you alright? Mr. Negan sent us to be sure you were alright? So are ya?"

I wiped my eyes and couldn't help but to smile at the adorable little boy.

"Chip!" I looked up to see a pretty woman with long, curly auburn hair, streaked with white and her face covered in the same freckles as the boy. "This isn't an interrogation, son!"

"What's an intarnation, mama?" He looked up at his mom with wide, confused eyes and a laugh escaped my lips.

"Interrogation, Chip! Please excuse him, love." The woman said sweetly, sitting down at the foot of the bed. "He can't seem to find his manners. I'm Mrs. Potts and this is my boy Chip. And you're Belle, right?" I nodded my reply. "I know you need your rest, but Negan wanted us to come make sure you were alright after…..well, everything."

"Or just make sure I hadn't tried to run away yet." I retorted. "I hardly doubt he sent you out of the goodness of his heart."

"I can certainly see why you'd think that, hon." Mrs. Potts gave me a sad smile. "He's not exactly the best with first impressions, is he? But he was actually quite concerned about your well being and wanted me to see about you." There was a soft knock on the already cracked door. "Come on in, Arat! She's up!"

A beautiful young woman with curly jet black hair that faded to blonde entered the room quietly. She was carrying a basket and kicked the door closed behind her. "I've brought you some fresh clothes and a few toiletry items. I guessed we were close to the same size, so I hope these fit." She placed the basket on the dinette table and scooped Chip up in a hug. "I'm Arat, by the way. If I can help you get settled in or if you need anything, let me know."

"We thought you would want to get cleaned up and have something to eat, perhaps?" Mrs. Potts supposed, patting my knee.

"I'm really not very hungry." I replied.

"Love, you need to eat. You've got to keep your strength up." Mrs. Potts insisted. "And I happen to have it on good authority that The Sanctuary has the best head chef this side of the Potomac!"

"My mama is a real good cook!" Chip piped up. "She makes the best corn casserole! And sometimes she even makes cookies!"

Mrs. Potts chuckled, her kind eyes glowing as she looked at me. "What do you say, love? How about we get you cleaned up and get you some of my famous corn casserole?"

"Well, who am I to turn down famous corn casserole?" I returned with a small smile, comforted by the friendly presence of these people.

"Now that's the spirit, hon!" Mrs. Potts exclaimed. "But first, I will have Arat show you to the showers. Chip and I are going to head back down to the kitchen and check on supper!"

"But Moooooom!" Chip whined. "I don't wanna go to the kitchen! It's boring in there!"

Mrs. Potts moved swiftly to the door, extending her hand down to her pouting boy. "Come along now, Chip!" He reluctantly joined her and I could hear his footsteps echo as he ran down the hall.

Arat picked up the basket she had brought in earlier, then reached a hand out to me to help me up. "Let's go!"


	6. I'm in Here

It felt so good to have a hot shower and rid myself of the blood and dirt, but all I could think about was my family. Hot tears mixed with the luke warm water as I wondered if Maggie and the baby were alright. I worried about Rick, Michonne, and Carl. I hoped Aaron had made it safely back to his husband Eric. I thought of Rosita and Sasha. But mostly, my thoughts drifted to Daryl. My breath caught in my throat as I pictured how defeated he looked just hours before. _I miss him so much._ I hoped that by taking his place he was able to get to Hilltop with Maggie and they were both able to get the medical attention they needed. _If they get taken care of, it was all worth it even if I never get to see their faces again. It was all worth it._

I made my way back to my room wearing the jeans, gray tank top, and blue flannel shirt Arat had provided. She had even given me some fresh socks that I pulled on before putting on my black boots. As I combed through my hair with my fingers, I saw that the linens had already been replaced with fresh ones and the bed had been made. _The Great Gatsby_ was neatly placed on the dinette table along with an unopened bottle of water. This had to have been the handy work of Mrs. Potts, Chip, and Arat. As I sat down, running my fingers along the book, tears formed in my eyes once again. Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door. I wiped at the dampness in my eyes with my shirt sleeve. "Who is it?"

"The big bad wolf!" Negan's voice boomed on the other side of the door. "Come on out, Beauty, and fucking join me for dinner."

"No!" I cried. "Leave me alone!"

"That was not a fucking request!" He snarled through the door. I heard what sounded like his voice whispering along with another, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. There was another light knock at the door. With a fury, I snatched the door open to see Dwight and Simon flanking Negan who stood with a smile plastered on his face. He had Lucille balanced in his left hand while he adjusted his black leather jacket with his right. "What I meant to say was, would you join me for dinner?"

My eyes narrowed as I looked up at him and then at the two men at his sides. _What on earth?_ "You mean to tell me that you take me prisoner and then you want to ask me to _dinner?_ Are you insane?" I slammed the door in their faces.

"So you'll fucking think about it?" Negan asked loudly with a chuckle.

"No! I wouldn't eat with you if you were the last person on earth!" I shouted through the wood. "I'd rather starve!"

"I said you _will_ fucking join me for dinner!" He yelled as he pounded the other side of the door.

"And I said NO!" I screamed, pounding back. "What are you gonna do? Make me? Bludgeon me to death with that stupid bat of yours? Well get on with it then, will you? So I won't have to look at your evil face ever again!" A sob escaped my chest. "Come on then! Let's just get it over with!" There was silence on the other side of the door. As I wiped away my tears with the back of my hand, I took a breath and braced myself for what would be waiting when I turned the door handle.

With one more deep breath, I jerked the door open only to find that Negan and his henchmen were gone.

* * *

"Clearly we got off on the wrong fucking foot, Dwight." I said as we came to a stop in front of Belle's door. "But even still, why the fuck wouldn't she want to have dinner with me? I gave her a fucking room! Clothes on her back! She's got it made in the fucking shade here already. We sure as shit don't do this for just fucking everybody."

"Maybe you should consider being a little nicer, Boss." Simon said warily. "The girl has been through a lot of shit in the last few hours."

"She can't be that fucking torn up." I scoffed. "It wasn't that long ago that this girl and her friends fucking murdered our men."

"Yeeeah, but if you'll remember, our guys stole from them first and attacked them." Dwight reminded me. "It only made sense that they would retaliate."

I grumbled under my breath. He had a fucking point. And honestly, those assholes got what was coming to 'em. That wasn't how I liked to fucking do business. I'm a fucking post-apocalyptic entrepreneur. I liked to meet and greet my new employees and have a fucking come to Jesus meeting. These fuckers were trying to just steal other peoples shit and then kill them. That's not how I fucking roll. I put people to work.

I'm not sure why it bothered me so much anyways. Something about this fucking girl got under my goddamn skin. Even though I know I'm the fucker that made her upset, I still want to try to make it fucking better. I cleared my throat. "The big bad wolf! Come on out, Beauty, and fucking join me for dinner."

"No!" Belle's voice cried on the other side of the door. "Leave me alone!"

 _What in the shit?!_ "That was not a fucking request!" I snarled back at her.

"Boss!" Simon whispered loudly. "Be nice to the girl! Remember, she doesn't exactly want to be here."

"And you could maybe not say fuck." Dwight suggested. Suddenly the door flew open and she stood there seething. God, she was more fucking beautiful than I remembered. Even mad, she was hot as shit.

"What I meant to say was, would you join me for dinner?" I gave her my best smile. How could she fucking resist this shit?

"You mean to tell me that you take me prisoner and then you want to ask me to _dinner?"_ She spat at me, her words cutting like knives. _"_ Are you insane?" She slammed the door right in our damn faces. This was not fucking going according to plan.

"So you'll fucking think about it?" I asked with a chuckle. Nothing ladies dig more than a fucking sense of humor.

"No! I wouldn't eat with you if you were the last person on earth!" She shouted through the wood. "I'd rather starve!"

"I said you _will_ join me for fucking dinner!" I yelled, pounding the door with my fist.

"And I said NO!" She screamed, as she retaliated with a loud thud against the door. "What are you gonna do? Make me? Bludgeon me to death with that stupid bat of yours? Well get on with it then, will you? So I won't have to look at your evil face ever again!" _Shit. Is she fucking crying? Goddamn. This wasn't what I fucking wanted. Fuck. Fuck. Fuckitty fuck._ "Come on then! Let's just get it over with!"

"Boss, you need to give her more time." Dwight said, almost pleading. "We can try again another day."

"If she doesn't eat with me, she doesn't fucking eat at all!" I huffed, storming down the hall away from room #113.

* * *

I slammed the door to my room in the west hall so fucking hard it rattled the paintings on the walls and shook the furniture. A picture frame dove off the small desk to the right of the door, shattering on impact. My breath caught in my throat as I moved to pick up the picture, glass crunching beneath my boots. I gazed down at the smiling face in the photograph. It was our wedding day; best fucking day of my life. Lucille was looking at the camera, but I was looking at her. I was always fucking looking at her. When we evacuated, Lucille made sure she packed some sentimental shit. I teased her about it at the time, but little did I know this picture was all I would have left of my wife. I didn't fucking deserve her. I sighed as I ran my fingers over the shattered glass that veiled our faces. What the fuck would she think of the man I had become?

I placed the picture face down on the desk too ashamed for her to even fucking look at me. I already fucking knew the answer. She would despise me. She wouldn't be able to fucking look at me. I could hardly stand to look at the sick fuck I had become.

Belle's words resonated in my mind. There was something about her that rattled me. She was fucking gorgeous but it was more than that. There was something pure and selfless about the way she sacrificed herself for that dipshit Daryl. I had only ever known one other person who would do something like that: someone so selfless and righteous. _Lucille._ I thought all the good had died in the world when I lost her. All the good in _my_ world had died.

Sitting down at the desk, I put my head in my hands. Even if there was some fucking good left in this goddamn world, there's no fucking way it would ever have anything to do with a fucking monster like me.


	7. Be Our Guest

"When Belle gets back, I will simply have to help her see reason!" Spencer exclaimed emphatically, placing his hands on his hips and puffing out his chest. "She's never going to find another catch like me!" He was supposed to be on watch at the gate, but he couldn't stop thinking about Belle and how things had gone down before she left with Rick and the group heading to Hilltop.

"If you take into consideration the rate at which new people are coming to Alexandria, the likelihood that she will connect with someone of your unparalleled genetics is admittedly slim." Eugene said, in his almost monotone southern drawl. "It is my belief that Belle's superior intelligence will ultimately lead her swiftly in your direction."

"You are exactly right!" Spencer slapped Eugene on the shoulder so hard it sent him stumbling forward. "You're a pretty wise guy. I mean, for a dude with a mullet."

Eugene nodded. "I both resent and resemble that remark. There is no statistical correlation between a man's mental prowess and his choice of hair style."

Before Spencer could argue the point, a knock came from the gate followed by Rick's voice. "It's us. Open up." Spencer ran his fingers through his hair making sure every strand was in place. He knew his moment with Belle had almost arrived. He was not expecting the scene he found when he slid the gate open. Rick, Michonne, Carl, Aaron, and Rosita all stood looking dejected and distraught. Noticeably missing were Glenn, Abraham, Sasha, Maggie, Daryl, and most importantly, Belle.

"Where is everyone else?" Spencer questioned, looking confused. "Where's Belle?"

"Gather everyone in the church." Rick instructed Spencer and Eugene. "We need to have a meeting."

* * *

"Oh my stars!" Mrs. Potts gasped as Simon and Dwight recounted the events that had just occurred between Belle and Negan. "What on earth was he thinking?" The three of them gathered around the small table in the center of the kitchen with Arat and Sherry.

"What's who thinking, Mama?" Chip exclaimed as he ran into the room and bounced happily beside her.

"Never you mind, Chip!" Mrs. Potts scolded her son gently before turning back to the men in front of her. "Surely he didn't mean it! He would never let the poor girl go hungry!"

"That's what he said." Dwight stated, lowering his eyes.

"Well, that may be what he said." Mrs. Potts said lowering her voice conspiratorially. "But it's not what we're going to do."

"What are you suggesting?" Arat asked curiously.

"I'm suggesting that we give Belle a proper welcome!" Mrs. Potts began, adjusting her apron. "After dinner service, I will prepare a special dinner just for her. Once everyone has gone to their quarters for the night, we will sneak her down here to the kitchen!"

"What if Negan finds out?" Sherry worried. "He would have all our heads!"

"He can't find out." Arat insisted, crossing her arms over her chest. "We'll just have to be extra vigilant."

"If we bring her here to the kitchen instead of the mess hall, nobody will even see us." Dwight added with a shrug. "I will volunteer for guard duty in the east hall tonight. Shouldn't be too difficult since Negan wants us to keep an eye on her."

"What do you think, Simon?" Mrs. Potts asked, turning to Simon who stood thoughtfully, not saying a word.

He rubbed his mustache with his thumb and index finger while he contemplated the proposed idea. "I think this could work." Simon declared, nodding slowly. "We have to try. Guys, this could be our chance. There is something about Belle that gets to Negan. He didn't say anything, but he didn't have to. His face said it all. I haven't seen him look at anyone like that since Lucille. When he heard her crying through that door, he was definitely affected."

"Listen, I want out of here as badly as anyone." Sherry interjected, tucking a piece of her light brown hair behind her ear. "But doesn't it also sound like we are throwing this Belle girl under a bus? Negan killed people she loves right in front of her. Do we really think she is going to warm up towards him after that?"

"Not without our help! We won't put her in harm's way." Simon insisted. "We can't let her be hurt anymore than she already has been. I just think that if anyone can break down the walls Negan has built, it's her. And she still might not give him the time of day."

"But we have to try!" Arat agreed. "Count me in."

"Goodness knows the man needs someone to bring some hope into his life." Mrs. Potts pointed out somberly. "I owe Negan everything. If it weren't for him, I don't know what might have become of me and my boy. I know the good man he was is still alive in there somewhere. I think we all know that. Maybe we can help her see it too."

"I think you're right." Dwight agreed. "At this point, the more time that passes the less likely I think it is that he'll ever come out of this. I think we have to give it a shot." He looked to Sherry, his eyes pleading.

"I'm in." Sherry spoke up. "What can I do to help?"

"Bring her down here to the kitchen just past 9." Mrs. Potts instructed. "I will need you all down here to help me keep watch."

"Even me?!" Chip exclaimed, bouncing on the tips of his toes.

"We'll all help in any way we can." Arat chimed in, hugging Mrs. Potts around her shoulders.

"Chip, what do you say we make some cookies for Miss Belle's special, secret dinner tonight?" Mrs. Potts asked, ruffling his bright red hair with her fingers.

"Yeah, mama!" Chip cheered. "Can I lick the bowl? Can I?! Can I?!"

"Of course you can, love." Mrs. Potts smiled down at the beaming boy. "I'll even let you stay up past your bedtime. You can help keep Miss Belle company. The poor girl has been though the ringer the last few days. Let's show her who the Saviors really are."

* * *

I heard a soft knock at the door from where I laid on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. _Well, that certainly isn't Negan._ "Come in." I called, sitting up to view my guest. A pretty girl with light brown hair slowly entered the room as I eyed her suspiciously.

"Belle?" She asked with a sweet smile. "I'm Sherry. It's nice to meet you."

"Hi," I said warily. "What can I do for you?"

"Actually, I'm here to take you to dinner." Sherry informed me.

"I thought that since I refused Negan's dinner invitation I wasn't being allowed dining privileges." I told her.

"I can see where you would think that." She chuckled, fidgeting nervously. "Actually, Mrs. Potts has made you a special welcome dinner. I've been sent to bring you to the kitchen, but we need to hurry."

"Negan has no clue about this dinner deal, huh?" I guessed.

"Not a clue." She replied quickly. "So…will you come?"

"How much trouble are you guys going to be in if he finds out?"

"A lot." She looked down at the floor as she bit her lip.

"Why are you guys willing to risk getting in trouble for me?" I just didn't get it. What could they possibly stand to gain by helping me?

"Because we've all been there before." Sherry looked at me sincerely. "We figure you could use a friend after all you've been through."

I chuckled. "So, it's a pity date then?"

She giggled in return. "Basically."

I was comforted by the presence of her friendly face and the fact that these people seemed willing to stick their necks out for me. Besides, I had to eat sometime. "Well, count me in."

* * *

As I entered the kitchen, lit only by candles I took in the faces smiling back at me. Arat and Simon already sat at the old wooden dining table in the middle of the kitchen. Mrs. Potts grinned at me as she stirred a dutch oven on the stove before bringing the spoon to her lips to taste her concoction. Dwight stood close to the door, undoubtedly keeping watch.

"Here we are!" Sherry beamed at me. I looked at everyone anxiously, but was comforted by the warmth of their presence. Even though I had every reason not to, something in my gut told me to trust these people anyway.

"Hi, Miss Belle!" Chip sang, holding a small tray out towards me. "We made you cookies!"

"Now, Chip!" Mrs Potts exclaimed. "At least let the girl enjoy some of my famous red beans and rice before you go handing out the dessert!"

"Hope you're hungry!" Simon said as he pulled out the vacant chair next to him, motioning for me to sit. I nodded and carefully sat next to him.

Mrs. Potts began scooping the meal onto the empty plate that sat in front of me. "This recipe was passed down all the way from my great grandmother."

"It smells amazing." I whispered, my stomach growling at the scent of the comforting Creole dish. So much had happened that I hadn't even realized how hungry I was. I dug my fork into the steaming dish and I began to eat. The others joined me, except Dwight who stood guard near the door.

"Let's just say all our lives got infinitely better when Mrs. Potts took over in the kitchen." Sherry admitted as the others laughed and nodded in agreement.

"When we first got to Alexandria, my friend Carol was so excited to see a fully stocked pantry." I remembered, taking a sip from the water glass in front of me. "I think we all ate tuna noodle casseroles for two months." The group chuckled softly. "Before we found Alexandria, my best friend Daryl and I would take turns trying to come up with the most inventive recipes. We kind of made a game out of it. But I always won because he couldn't cook if his life depended on it." A laugh escaped my chest and suddenly I was brought back to the moment. I wasn't just having dinner with new friends. I was a prisoner and I would never see those I love again. Tears filled my eyes.

Suddenly, I was engulfed in a hug from Mrs. Potts. "There, there, love." She murmured sweetly, caressing the top of my head. "It was an awfully brave thing you did, taking your friend's place."

I leaned into her embrace and choked out a sob. "Simon and Dwight filled us in on what happened. You've been through so much, sweetheart. You're cute as a kitten, but you have the heart of a lion."

Wiping tears from my eyes, I pulled away from Mrs. Potts and glanced up at all of the faces surrounding me. Arat swiped at a tear that had escaped onto her cheek while Sherry looked down solemnly at her hands folded in her lap. Even Dwight's face had softened from its usual stern expression.

"She's right, you know." Simon said gently, squeezing my shoulder.

"Don't be sad, Miss Belle!" Chip cried, squeezing past his mom to throw his tiny arms around me. "You can't be sad when there are cookies!"

I chuckled as he retrieved the tray of cookies and held them out to me. "May I?" I asked him with a small smile.

"Be our guest, love." Mrs. Potts encouraged.

I took an oatmeal cookie and chewed it thoughtfully for a moment. "I don't understand why you're all being so kind to me." I wondered. "Surely you're as trapped here as I am. Don't you ever want to escape?"

"Negan's not as terrible as he appears." Arat said with a sad smile.

"Deep down there's a prince of a fella just waiting to be set free." Mrs. Potts explained. "There's more than meets the eye with that one."

I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. "I should probably get back to my room."

"Yes, of course, love." Mrs. Potts said, squeezing my hand.

"Thank you so much for this." I replied, looking Mrs. Potts in the eye before scanning the room to look at all of them. "Thank you all. This has meant more to me than you can possibly know."

"We know this isn't where you want to be and we don't blame you." Arat spoke softly. "But we want you to know we are happy to have you and you do have friends here."

I nodded at her as I stood up from the table.

"I'll show you back to your room." Dwight stated, escorting me from the kitchen.

We walked in silence for a few moments before I spoke. We made our way past the forbidden west hall that was almost completely dark except for a light glow that emanated around a door at the end of the corridor . "Sure does look ominous down there." I observed.

Dwight nodded, but didn't speak until we got to the east hall. "I think I can trust that you'll make it the rest of the way safely on your own." He gestured down the dimly lit hall in the direction of my room.

"I'm sure I will manage." I chuckled as I turned to walk down the east hall.

"Belle?" Dwight's voice called softly before I even made it three steps. I turned to face him. "I'm real sorry about everything. And….well, I'm glad you're here."

"Thank you." I whispered with a small smile.

Dwight nodded in reply. "Sleep tight." I watched as he made his way down the hall, disappearing from view. I leaned against the wall and waited a few moments until I was certain the coast was clear. It was time I found out what Negan was hiding in the west hall.


	8. Helium

I looked around as I approached the door at the end of west hall, a soft light glowing around the edges of the door. Cracking the door open gently, I peered inside. I opened the door wide enough to stick my head in and glance around. There was no sign of Negan, or anyone else for that matter. I slid through the door and closed it softly behind me.

I blinked, surprised by what I was seeing. I suppose I expected to see a dark lair complete with spikes, shackles and torture chambers, but my eyes were met with a very normal looking bachelor pad apartment. In the center of the room was a sitting area with a worn brown leather couch and love seat. There was a kitchenette, a mini fridge and three large book shelves aligning the walls covered in books. I took a step forward and was startled by a crunching sound beneath my boot. I looked down to see tiny shards of glass glittering along the floor.

As I turned my head, I saw a picture frame lying face down on a modest desk, so worn that the black paint had begun to peel away from the wood. Glistening crumbles of glass shimmered around the frame like confetti, as I leaned over to pick it up. It was a photograph of Negan and a beautiful woman in a tea length white lace dress. Her auburn hair piled atop her hair, she was smiling at the camera knowingly. I walked across the room studying the photograph in my hands. Negan was wearing a black tuxedo, his hair more pepper than salt but he still had his signature facial scruff. He was leaned in toward the beautiful red head, a broad smile across his face. Only he wasn't looking at the camera. He was looking at her. He looked different. And not just in the way we see younger versions of people. He looked softer. He looked like a man in love, not a baseball bat wielding beast. I couldn't imagine what could drive a seemingly normal looking man to such madness.

I could feel the fury rising in my chest. Seeing this stolen moment of happiness was just a devastating reminder that everything I love had been taken because of Negan. Tears formed in my eyes as I pictured Daryl, Rick, Michonne, Carl, Maggie and everyone I love back in Alexandria. I realized I would never be there to witness Rick and Michonne's wedding that we had planned for the spring. I would never get to see Glenn and Maggie's baby be born. There would be no family dinners or playing cards with Daryl at the kitchen table till all hours of the night by candlelight. All of my happy moments had passed.

"What in the shit do we have here?" Negan's voice boomed from over my shoulder. I gasped, turning on my heel to face him. His eyes fell to the picture frame clutched in my hands and I saw his jaw clench with rage. "Well, fuck me! Not only is little Red Riding Hood out past her bedtime, but she appears to have gotten lost on her way to fucking grandma's house. Now she's come to visit the Big Bad Motherfucking Wolf and is going through my fucking shit!"

My hands trembled as I looked up at him with as much fierceness as I could muster.

"What in God's green holy fucking shit are you doing in here?" Negan bellowed, leaning in over me slowly. He snapped Lucille against the floor beside me with a loud crack. I jumped, startled, dropping the frame to the floor with a crash. Negan's eyes narrowed on me as he tightened his grip around Lucille and I knew this was it. This was the end. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and whispered a silent goodbye to Daryl that he would never hear.

Nothing happened. I opened my eyes, still blurred with tears to see Negan looking at me. His emotions seemed to betray him as a tortured look spread across his face. The only sounds I could hear were those of his shallow breathing and the sound of my heart beating.

"Get out." Negan spat at me through wild eyes. I stood frozen in fear for a moment, my fists clenched at my sides. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE! GET OUT!"

I was running. Before my mind had even registered what just happened, I was sprinting as fast I could down the dark hallways. It was as if my body was moving as my mind watched, floating just above the ground. I could hear Negan's voice fading in the background screaming, "Stand down!" I felt hands reach out to grasp me and the faint sound of voices telling me to stop echoed through the halls. But I didn't stop. I kept running, until I was out the front door, then the front gate, and into the woods. Rain fell like daggers from the sky, sharp and menacing as thunder rumbled in the dark night, but I didn't even notice. The only thing that brought me back to earth, to the small clearing in the woods, was the sound of Chip's voice.

* * *

"Miss Belle!" Chip cried. "Where are you going? Stop!" Chip's hair was flattened to his tiny head from the sheer weight of the rain.

"Chip!" I exclaimed over the sound of the rain assaulting the ground around us. "What are you doing out here? You shouldn't be here!"

Chip's face crumpled with fear as he reached for me. A walker snarled, seemingly appearing out of the rain itself, lunging for the little boy. I pushed Chip out of the way as hard as I could to gain distance between him and the walker. My eyes searched the ground frantically for anything I could use as a weapon while I kicked the walker in the stomach, sending it tumbling backwards. I could hear Chip's screams as I picked a large rock up off the ground with both hands and rammed it into the walker's skull. The walker gurgled furiously as I raised my hands to strike again. Suddenly, I heard more snarling from behind me. The growling became louder in my ear as I finally eliminated the first threat. I turned quickly, shoving the walker behind me but lost my footing, falling backwards beneath the walker's weight. With an unexpected sharp thud, the walker became lifeless, falling on top of me. I scrambled out from beneath its body as Chip ran into my arms. I looked up to see a skinny man with yellowed teeth pull an arrow from the walker's decaying corpse. The man tilted his face and by the light of the moon, I saw a 'W' carved into his forehead.

"Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise." The man with the 'W' branded onto his forehead said slyly. The leaves crunched against the rain as two sinister looking men flanked him. "Are you lost, little girl?"

I positioned myself so that Chip was behind me. "What do you want?" My voice seemed to get lost in the noise of the rain.

The man with the yellowed teeth loomed closer to me until I could feel his hot breath against my face. He trailed his knife along my neck, then down my collarbone. "Please forgive my manners. It's been a long time since we've seen a pretty little thing like you out here. My name is Owen and we are The Wolves."

"Ok." I said, steadying my voice and squaring my shoulders with confidence I did not feel. 'What do you want?"

"I want what every man wants." He leaned in closer, his voice just a whisper in my ear. "But don't worry; we won't make the kid watch. I'll kill him first."

Before he could move, I swiftly kicked him in the groin, sending him crashing to the ground. "Chip, RUN!" I screamed as the other two wolves moved in on me. Fueled with rage, I shoved one of the henchman into a tree while the other one tore at my shirt. By this time, Owen had regained his balance and pushed me to the ground so hard it knocked the wind right out of my chest. I looked back to see that Chip had gotten away and relief set in knowing he was out of harm's way. "Let me go!" I shrieked, kicking violently.

"I'm going to have to make you pay, you little bi—" Suddenly Owen was on the ground next to me, blood gushing from his head.

"Didn't your mama ever fuckin teach you any damn manners?" Negan's voice boomed around her as if it were in surround sound. He twirled Lucille in his right hand. Owen's body twitched on the ground beside me. "You don't EVER, I mean fucking EVER treat a lady like that!"

I jumped to my feet and backed up against a tree to catch my breath. One of the other Wolves pulled a gun out from under his coat and fired at Negan. The bullet hit Negan in the shoulder as Lucille connected with the other remaining Wolf's head, sending him to the ground instantly. Negan cried out in pain as he fell to his knees. Another shot rang out and Negan fell over. The last Wolf standing cocked his gun once more and before I even realized what I was doing I had lunged for him. I shoved him away from Negan, his weight pulling me to the ground with him.

"You've got some fight in you, huh little girl?" The Wolf taunted me, rolling over so that his weight held me down. "Owen would have liked that. But you're all mine now. Too bad your boyfriend is dead and can't save you now." His hands grabbed my wrists to pin me to the ground.

"Want to fucking bet, you sorry shit?" Negan roared before slamming the bat into the Wolf's head so hard it knocked him completely off of me. I fought to catch my breath as I looked up at Negan with fear. Without warning, he collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain. The bat fell to his side and rolled in my direction, stopping only when it hit my boot. I jumped to my feet, frantically surveying the scene around me. All of the wolves were dead and Negan was lying on his back, weak with agony. I could run for it right now. I could leave this place and never look back. I could see my family again. I sighed with relief, overcome with emotion at the thought of seeing Daryl again. I began to walk away, past Negan, The Wolves and the hell that had been the last couple of days. As I got to the edge of the clearing, I looked back through the rain and saw Negan lying there. He didn't even try to stop me. He could have had me shot coming out of the Sanctuary, but he didn't. He told his guards to stand down. Not only is he just letting me go, but he helped me. I shudder to think of what would have happened if Negan hadn't been there.

With one last look towards the sky, I took a shallow breath trying to prepare myself for what I was about to do.

* * *

"You're going to have to help me." A soft female voice said over the sound of the rain. Most beautiful fucking sound I've fucking heard. _Lucille?_ "I am not worried about your stupid bat right now. I'm trying to save your life!" I didn't even realize I had said her name out loud.

I opened my eyes to see Belle knelt over me, cloaked in rain and illuminated by the moonlight. "You came back for me." I couldn't believe she was still fucking there. I thought for sure she had left me there for dead. She fucking should have. An uncontrollable shiver went through me.

"It looks like the bullets went straight through but there's a lot of blood. We have to get you to the doctor." With one swift movement, she removed her flannel shirt and ripped it down the middle. She tied the pieces tightly around my right shoulder and left side to try and slow the bleeding. "I need to get you back to the Sanctuary."

"Just leave me." I told her. "It's what you should have done to fucking begin with." My voice cracked, betraying me.

"But I—"

"But nothing. This is what I fucking deserve." I groaned as she applied pressure to my shoulder. "No wonder that Daryl douche was so sad to see you go. You're too Goddamn sweet. I'm getting exactly what the fuck I deserve."

"Are we going to sit here having a pity party or are you going to help me get you to the Sanctuary?" She was exasperated, but I swear I saw a fucking flicker of worry cross her pretty damn face. It was probably fucking shock setting in. "You're a lot bigger than me, Negan. You can lean on me but I need you to try to walk, okay?" Why did it fucking feel like my damn heart was going to beat out of my chest when she said my name? Getting shot will fuck somebody up. _Goddamn._

She helped to hoist me up to a standing position. "That's it. Take it easy." Her voice was gentle and melodic. "I've got you." My breath caught in my chest as I looked down at her. Her fucking eyes met mine again and I knew in that moment, I was fucked. This girl had a fucking hold on me that I hadn't experienced since… "Just lean on me. I've got you." Little did she fucking know just how much she had me. _Fuck._


	9. Bring Me to Life

"Chip!" Mrs. Potts clawed through the rain as she sprinted toward the ginger haired boy emerging from the woods. Chip threw his arms around his mother as she scooped him up, squeezing him tightly. "You gave me such a fright! Don't you ever run away like that again! My boy!" Water poured angrily from the sky around them as she held him, breathing a sigh of relief. Arat, Dwight, Simon and Sherry, who had all taken off after Mrs. Potts, came to a stop once they reached her side.

"Mama!" Chip cried. "Miss Belle saved me! There were men in the woods and they hurt Miss Belle! She told me to run! Mr. Negan ran by me but I don't know if they're ok! I'm scared, mama!"

"Which way did they go, Chip?" Simon asked, alarmed. They all exchanged looks of concern. Chip wiped the tears and rain from his face and pointed through the trees.

"They could be anywhere," Dwight said, nervously running his hands through his stringy, wet blonde hair. "We have to split up. Find them."

"There they are!" Chip exclaimed, pointing to Negan and Belle as they came into view amongst the trees.

"He's been shot!" Belle yelled. "We need a doctor! Help us!"

"I'll go get Dr. Carson!" Sherry gulped as she turned on her heel and ran back toward the Sanctuary.

"Get him inside now!" Arat commanded Mrs. Potts. "We don't know if there's still a threat out there! Alert the guards!"

Simon, Dwight and Arat rushed to the edge of the woods where Belle was struggling to keep Negan upright. "What happened?" Simon asked, as he and Dwight moved in to shoulder Negan's weight.

"Three men attacked me!" Belle trembled, shivering against the torrent of rain. "They said they would kill Chip! I told him to run and I tried to fight them off. But there were too many of them! Next thing I knew, Negan was there. He saved me. If he hadn't been there….." Simon and Dwight exchanged a look and quickly carried Negan to the doors of the Sanctuary where a couple of Saviors had appeared with a gurney.

"It's ok, Belle. You're ok." Arat, placed her hand firmly on Belle's shoulder.

"He's lost a lot of blood…." Belle trailed off, an unsettled look on her face.

"Dr. Carson is the best there is," Arat assured her, guiding her back toward the Sanctuary. "Thank you for bringing him back. Let's get you inside and find you some dry clothes."

"Thank you," Belle whispered as they crossed through the gate and entered the front entrance of the Sanctuary. "And Arat?"

Arat looked up at her quizzically. "Hmm?"

"I'd like to go see him."

* * *

 _What am I doing here?_ I sat in the small makeshift hospital room, watching Negan sleep fitfully.

"You saved his life. Thank you." Dr. Carson said quietly, placing a hand on my shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

"Conflicted. Confused." I put my hand to my mouth as if to stop more words from escaping. I realized in that moment, that was not the type of 'feeling' he was asking about. I glanced up at him as he knelt down beside me. "I'm sorry…..That's not what you were asking."

"Maybe not," he chuckled softly. "But tell me about it anyway."

"I just don't know what I'm doing. I could have left. I _should_ have left. This guy has done horrible, unspeakable things." I shifted uncomfortably in my chair as I looked the doctor in the eye. "He took my life from me. But…"

"But he also saved it?" Dr. Carson asked thoughtfully. I shrugged and nodded lightly. Dr. Carson's kind green eyes looked up at me with empathy. "Taking him out of the equation, I think it says a lot about you."

"That I'm stupid?" I sighed and put my head in my hands.

Dr. Carson placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "That despite what evils have been done to you, you refuse to let them change who you are. Sure, you could have left him there to die. You could have shown him the ugliness he's shown to others. But instead, your beauty prevailed. On this day, light drowned out the darkness."

Lifting my head, I looked over at his sincere face. "He could have had me shot. Or let those awful men have their way with me. He could have killed me himself out there for escaping but instead he took bullets for me. Why?"

"I know your experience with him up till now has been one of terror." Dr Carson replied. "And I am so sorry about what he's done to you and to your friends. But that's not all there is to him. Maybe you got a glimpse of that tonight."

I shook my head furiously. "He murdered my friends. Right in front of me," I choked out, tears forming in my eyes. "How could anyone do that?"

Dr. Carson looked down for a moment, appearing to be deep in thought. Finally, he spoke. "Belle, I wish I had a good answer for you, but I don't. I know that sometimes people do awful things when they're afraid or when they're hurting."

"You're all so loyal to him." I muttered, wiping away a tear that escaped my eye. "I just don't understand why."

"Well, truth be told, he has saved many of us." Dr. Carson answered. "I know how it seems. But he's done his best to create some sort of order for us. He's far from perfect, but he's always tried taken care of us. I haven't known him as long as Simon, Dwight, Sherry, Arat or Mrs. Potts have. They know him better than any of the rest of us. But we have all heard stories about the man Negan was. We see glimpses of that man here and there. And we keep hoping that guy will come back around." Dr. Carson stood, removing the stethoscope from his neck and checked Negan's pulse. After a couple of moments, he nodded and draped it around his neck again. "Pulse is strong and steady. The sedatives should be wearing off soon." He opened the door as if to leave, but paused for a moment. "You should really get some rest. You have experienced a lot the last few days. You need rest."

"I think I'm going to stay here a little longer." I whispered, my eyes not moving from Negan. "Can I ask you something, Dr. Carson?"

"Of course," he responded.

"I went into Negan's room earlier and I saw a picture of him with a woman. She was beautiful. It looked like it could have been a wedding picture." I looked up at Dr. Carson curiously. "Who was she?"

He gazed at me plaintively and for a moment I thought he wasn't going to answer. "It was his wife; Lucille."

* * *

I tried to move but quickly realized that was a bad damn idea. _Everything fucking hurts._ I opened my eyes, and looked down to see bloody bandages peeking out from beneath the blanket tucked loosely around me. I groaned in misery from the white hot pain in my right shoulder. I heard a soft sigh and my eyes focused in to see Belle asleep in a chair to the side of the bed. Her legs were folded up while her head rested against the wall. Soft waves of hair fell across her face. _Goddamn._ She was beautiful.

The memories of the events that got me in this hospital bed flooded through my mind. I studied Belle and her small frame in awe of the fact that she had gotten me back to the Sanctuary in one piece. I remembered those dirty fuckers pawing at Belle, tearing at her clothes and the rage I felt seeing her hurt. Shame set in as I thought about everything that led up to her running out of the Sanctuary like her pretty little life depended on it. What I did to her friends. How I yelled at her when I found her in my room with the picture of Lucille. She should have left me for dead out in the woods.

 _And yet here she was._

Belle's eyes blinked open and caught me staring at her gorgeous face. _Fuck._ "You're awake." Was that fucking relief in her voice? What medication did Dr. Carson give me?

"It would appear I am. So if you were waiting to see me catch my last breath, you may have to come back for the 7 o'clock showing of 'Negan bites the fuckin' dust," I quipped as a twinge of pain caused me to grit my teeth.

"Well, that would be a waste considering I brought you back here so the doctor could save your life," she snapped bringing her feet to the floor. A shiver ran through me and I wasn't sure if it was from my injuries or the hurt in her eyes. She came to her feet slowly and walked toward me until she was standing directly over me. Was she going to smother me with a fuckin' pillow? She gently pressed the back of her hand to my forehead and then to the side of my face. "You feel a little feverish. I'll go get Dr. Carson."

She turned to leave but before I even realized what I was doing, I grabbed her hand to stop her. "Wait a second."

Belle turned back slowly and even though I was laid up looking like fuckin' death on a stick, she still looked afraid. _Shit._

"I've been nothing but your worst goddamn nightmare since you laid fucking eyes on me, Belle. There's nobody in here. Now, I'm sure you could have found something to use to put me out of my fuckin' misery. You mean you don't actually want to fucking kill me?" I stammered, completely awestruck by this woman in front of me.

She delicately placed my hand back on the bed, chewing her bottom lip in thought. Tears filled her eyes, threatening to spill over. "Not today."

"Why not?" Suddenly she was looking me directly in the eye and I could see nothing else but her.

"Because today, light drowned out the darkness." Her voice cracked as she turned to walk toward the door. I knew instinctively that I was the fucking darkness. And she wasn't wrong. But in that moment, all I wanted was to be the light she needed.

"Thank you," I said softly, my words falling off her back. "For saving my life."

She placed a hand on the door frame, steeling herself and nodded solemnly. I didn't think she would say another word, though I desperately wanted to hear her voice again.

Suddenly her sweet voice came, barely above a whisper. "Thank you for saving mine."


	10. Hold Me While You Wait

{note from the author: I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update this. I lost my way a bit, but I hope I've found it again. I want to finish this story for me as it has lived inside my mind for so long, and for those of you who have been so kind to read it. I appreciate you so much. I hope I make you proud. xo-m}

"You don't have to stay with me, Daryl. " Maggie said to him as she waited for Siddiq, the resident Hilltop doctor to perform an ultrasound on her. "I'll be ok."

"I know you will be," Daryl said, standing beside her, taking her hand in his. "But I want to be here."

"You need to get back to Alexandria," she retorted. "We have to get ready to fight."

"Maggie, I want to end that Negan bastard as much as much as you do. But we have to be smart about this." Daryl gave her a sympathetic look. "I want him dead, too. I want to get Belle back. But if we go in there now all half cocked, we won't stand a chance. He has numbers which is something we don't have."

"Jesus told me the Hilltop will stand with us," she insisted. "He said-"

"Yeah, Jesus also said that outpost we took out was all of the Saviors," Daryl cut her off. "But clearly it ain't. I ain't saying he put us in harm's way, but he didn't help us neither."

"I'm sure he didn't know." Maggie said of their Hilltop ally, resting her hands atop her stomach

"I'm sure he didn't neither. But there may be a lot of things he don't know. That's why we gotta be smart about this."

Maggie's eyes filled with despair. "I want him to pay for what he did to Glenn and to Abraham."

Daryl squeezed her hand with one hand and placed the other on her shoulder. "I know." Daryl looked down, unable to meet her eyes. He recalled how it was because he had lashed out that Glenn was dead. Then the realization that Belle was gone hit him like an avalanche and silent tears ran down his face.

"We're going to get her back, Daryl." Maggie promised him. "You have to know that."

Unable to speak for fear of completely breaking down, Daryl nodded as Siddiq entered the small room.

"Hi, Maggie," he greeted her solemnly. "I am so sorry for your loss." He looked from Maggie to Daryl. "For all of your losses. I just want you to know that we at the Hilltop want to be here to provide any support you may need."

Maggie and Daryl nodded in unison.

"Now, let's have a look and see how the baby is doing." Maggie held her breath as she pulled her shirt up for the doctor to perform the ultrasound. "I'm just going to apply some gel first and then you will feel a little bit of pressure, okay?"

Maggie nodded as Siddiq squirted some cool, clear gel across her stomach. He then moved the wand of the ultrasound device across her stomach. His face was deep in concentration as he searched the screen. Finally, a small smile settled on his face as a rhythmic sound filled the room.

"Heartbeat is strong." The doctor said softly. "This baby is a fighter."

"Like its mama." Daryl whispered loud enough for only Maggie to hear.

Relief flooded Maggie's face as Daryl reached down to hug her. "Thank you," Maggie said into his ear. "For being here." He nodded solemnly in response.

"I'm afraid it's a bit too early to tell the gender, but what I can see is that you have a healthy baby." Siddiq removed the wand from her stomach and wiped away the remaining gel.

"Am I okay to make the trip back home to Alexandria now?" Maggie questioned, sitting upright.

"Well, that really depends." Siddiq crossed his arms as he leaned against the wall to face her. "Do you have a doctor there? Do you have a stockpile of medicine?"

"No," Maggie answered flatly. "Our doctor is dead and we have no medicine left. That's why we were coming here to begin with."

Maggie and Daryl noticed the concerned look that came across the doctor's face. "I'm not going to mince words here, Maggie. Considering the state of the world, any pregnancy now would be considered high risk. We don't have much medication either- we never have. We've been blessed to have plenty of food and and some medical equipment, but medicine and weapons are things we have just never had. It is vital that we keep you well so that you have a healthy pregnancy and delivery. You need to stay here at the Hilltop. From the looks of you both, your food supply is low. We need to make sure you're getting the nutrition you require and we need to keep you away from a lot of people. I won't completely quarantine you, but I don't want you milling about with everyone. I want to keep you from being exposed to any potentially harmful germs. In the meantime, I will make sure our scavenging groups are out there looking for more medicine. We have a group heading out in a couple of days to an old veterans hospital a few hours away where I did my residency. It's my hope that in a few days we'll finally have some medicine. I want you to stay here where I can monitor you."

"No- I have to get back!" Maggie protested, clenching her fists. "We have to fight Negan!"

"If I may," Siddiq interjected. "You have no business fighting anyone or leaving the Hilltop. To be honest, your friend here doesn't look like he has much business fighting anyone either. Why don't you let me take a look at that wound?"

Daryl nodded. "I'm going to let the doc fix me up and I will leave for Alexandria as soon as he gives me the go ahead. I'll ask Sasha to stay with you." He looked at Maggie earnestly. "The Saviors have numbers and fire power. Every second we wait is another second without Belle. I hate it, but I know if we go in there now, we will all die. We have to be ready. And this time we will be."

* * *

It was quiet in the church except for the sounds of muffled sobs and sniffles. Rick had just broken the news to the people of Alexandria about their encounter with Negan. He recounted the way the Saviors had surrounded them as they tried to get Maggie to the Hilltop. He told them how Negan had savagely taken the lives of Abraham and Glenn right before their eyes. Then, he had to inform them that Belle had sacrificed herself to take Daryl's place as a prisoner.

Rick steeled himself against the pulpit, and squeezed his eyes shut so tight he could feel the tears burning behind them. He had always been the one to bare the burdens of the group. He took every loss, every tear, and every ounce of rage upon his shoulders. He saw problems and he fixed them. But this time was different. They had bitten off more than they could chew and he knew it.

When they followed Jesus to the Hilltop, he told them of Negan and the Saviors. However, the group had already made their acquaintance. Just days before, Abraham, Sasha, and Daryl had encountered a small group of them on the road. They tried to steal their supplies and threatened to kill one of them, but Daryl blew them into the next world with an RPG he had scavenged before they got the chance. Jesus told the group of the Hilltop's arrangement made between the Saviors and the Hilltop's smarmy leader Gregory. The Hilltop was to give the Saviors half of their resources or face extreme punishment. Negan and the Saviors had already taken a few members of the Hilltop including their former physician Dr. Carson and his daughter Emilia who had been very ill at the time. Because the Hilltop did not have much in the way of weapons or medicine, they had not even attempted to put up a fight. Instead, truck loads of Saviors came every week to pick up half of their supplies. To this day, they didn't even know if Dr. Carson and Emilia were alive.

When Rick and the Alexandrians heard this, they all agreed Negan needed to be eliminated. They came to an agreement that if Rick and the group could end Negan's reign, the Hilltop would give them the resources they desperately needed and form a trade agreement with Alexandria. One night, a group from Alexandria went into what they thought was the Saviors only compound and killed every person there while they slept. They had no way of knowing at the time that it was merely an outpost and the Saviors' numbers far exceeded what had been there. The group struggled deeply with the decision to take all of those lives, but they felt it was their only means of survival.

"We can't just sit here with out thumbs up our asses!" Spencer's voice pierced through Rick's thoughts as he appeared in front of him. "What are we waiting for? We need to fight this bastard now!

"What do you suggest we do? There's dozens of these Saviors if not hundreds!" Rick's voice was hoarse from exhaustion. "We have hardly any ammunition. Hell, we don't even have enough food to sustain us. We just lost Glenn and Abraham. Belle is gone. Daryl, Maggie and Sasha are at Hilltop. We are weak right now."

"And whose fault is that?" Spencer spat.

Rick's jaw clenched and suddenly Michonne was standing between the two men with her hand up as if to physically stop Spencer from speaking. "Enough! You don't know what you're talking about, Spencer. We had no way of knowing that outpost we took out wasn't all of the Saviors."

"We can't just do nothing!" Spencer exclaimed, wild eyed.

"And we wont." Michonne said evenly. "But we have to think this through. We already have the Saviors coming in a few days for half of our stuff."

"We don't have shit! How can they take half of nothing?" Spencer cried, frustration pouring out of him.

"I don't know!" Rick growled. "But I guess we will find out. We need to find a way to hide some of what we do have. And we need to scavenge and find some weapons. It may take a little time, but we can do it. We have to."

"And we will." Michonne agreed. "We will save Belle and and take care of Negan. But we have to be ready for them this time. We weren't prepared before and we went off information from someone who didn't have the entire story. We won't make that mistake twice."

* * *

"Can you believe this, Eugene? Can you believe they're just doing nothing?" Spencer bellowed as he paced around the living room of his home. Eugene looked up at him with tear stained cheeks. Though there had been a rift in his friendship with Abraham over his own cowardice, he still cared deeply for his friend and couldn't believe he was gone. He had always thought a lot of Belle, too. She was one of the first of the original group to truly make him and Abraham feel welcome.

"Though at first glance it would seem they are doing nothing, I am of the opinion that-" Eugene began to speak but was quickly interrupted.

"I can't just stand by while Belle is being held captive by that monster!" Spencer was pacing faster, throwing his hands around wildly. "We have to take the initiative, Eugene!"

"What course of action are you suggesting?" Eugene wiped the dampness from his face.

"If I rescue Belle from Negan she will have no choice but to be with me." Spencer exclaimed, puffing his chest out. "If I kill Negan she will see that I am the only man worthy of her affections. She will have to be with me!"

"But…"

"You're a smart guy, Eugene." Spencer stopped in his tracks, turning to look at Eugene. "You're resourceful."

"I believe so, yes."

Spencer's face hardened as he squared his jaw. "Make me a bullet."

* * *

I laid on the bed in my room, staring up at the ceiling. After my last exchange with Negan, I was feeling unnerved and unsettled. Though I was exhausted, I couldn't sleep. My mind was waging war on my heart. Or maybe it was the other way around.

I replayed the events of the night before in my head over and over again. I had too many questions and not enough answers. Why did he let me leave? Why did he come after me? Was he coming to kill me? Why didn't he kill me or let the Wolves do it? Why did he put himself in harm's way to save me? Did he follow after me because he was actually concerned for me?

And then there was something about how he acted when I went to see him. There was a vulnerableness in how he spoke to me; a tenderness even. What was I thinking? This man was a beast! I rubbed my eyes hard as if I could wipe away these thoughts. I was clearly going crazy. Had sleep deprivation and stress driven me mad? I sighed loudly and squeezed my eyes shut, begging for sleep to overtake me. But even as it finally did, Negan's face still reverberated through my mind.


	11. Grace

The next afternoon, I woke to a knock on the door and Sherry's soft voice filtering through the wood. "Belle, I've brought you some more clothes. Would you like me to just leave them out here?"

"No, no. I'm coming!" I couldn't believe I had slept so long. I rose to my feet and opened the door, giving her a small smile. "Thanks." She handed me a small basket filled with some fresh clothing. "Would you like to come in?"

"Sure." Sherry nodded, stepping inside, closing the door behind her. She took a seat at the dinette table. "Thank you again. For what you did last night."

I set the basket down on the unmade bed before joining her at the table. "I'm still not sure why I did it, to be honest."

"I know…." Sherry trailed off, deep in thought for a moment. "I know how it seems. But I promise you, he isn't the monster you think."

"You realize it sounds like you've got Stockholm syndrome right?"

"I know it does. But I promise you, there's more than meets the eye."

"Enlighten me then," I bristled. I found myself frustrated by the fact that these people were so keen to defend him. His voice and the softness with which he spoke to me from the night before filled my mind. I shook my head as if I could physically shake his voice from my mind.

She took a deep breath. "Well, I-"

A knock at the door interrupted her. "Belle, it's Dwight." I opened the door to see him standing there, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. "Good afternoon." He peeked in and noticed Sherry sitting down and I thought I saw his face flush. "Oh, hey, Sherry."

"I was just bringing Belle some more clothes." Sherry explained, rising to her feet. "I should actually get back upstairs. But, Belle, we will continue this chat later, alright?"

I gave her a knowing glance and nodded as she left the room, brushing past Dwight. "How is he?" I couldn't even believe I was not only asking, but that I _cared._

"That's actually why I'm here." He shifted uncomfortably and looked down at the worn boots on his feet. I felt my stomach tighten with worry and then instantly felt angry with myself for feeling anything less than contempt for Negan. "Negan has requested that Dr. Carson allow him to go back to his own room to recover and, well…..he's asked to see you."

I felt my heart in my throat, but I swallowed it back down. "He wants to see me?"

Dwight cleared his throat, his gaze lifted and he looked me in the eyes. "If you would be willing."

I turned away from him, my hands on my hips. He wanted to see me? Again? And what's worse is I found myself wanting to see him too. As much as I couldn't stand him, I also couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to Negan's story and I found myself with an unshakeable curiosity as to what that was.

"If you're not up to it I can-"

"No, it's alright." I turned back to face him, my words and my thoughts betraying me once again. "I'll go."

* * *

After giving me a moment of privacy to change clothes, Dwight led me down to the west hall to Negan's room to find his door was already cracked open. He knocked softly on the door before entering ahead of me.

"We're in the bedroom!" Dr. Carson's voice called out. Wordlessly, I followed Dwight around the corner to Negan's bedroom where he laid reclined back in the bed, a navy blue quilt covering him. His face was nearly as pale as the white of the undershirt he wore. Dr. Carson was listening to Negan's chest through his stethoscope.

"Negan, I've brought you a visitor." Dwight's reached out and gently squeezed my shoulder. Negan looked up and shock registered on his face. Clearly, my agreeing to visit him came as just as big of a surprise to him as it did me. He looked like he wanted to say something, but words were clearly failing us both today. "I have guard duty, but I'll check in on you later." Before I could so much as protest, Dwight was already gone.

"Hello there, Belle." Dr. Carson smiled back at me, placing the stethoscope around his neck like a necklace before returning his attention back to Negan. "I still don't think this is a great idea. It's a lot harder for me to keep an eye on you with you in here. I still have other patients to check in on."

"I'll be fuckin' fine, Doc." Negan's voice was a stony whisper. "Don't worry about me. Give Emilia my love, will you?"

"I could stay with him." My voice had escaped my mouth without my consent. "And keep an eye on him. I've got nothing else to do and I'll go crazy in that room with nothing to do but think."

Both Dr. Carson's and Negan's faces reflected the confusion I felt by my own offer.

"Are you sure?" Dr. Carson looked back at me concerned. And he should be concerned. Clearly, I was ill or out of my mind. Or both. "I've got some medication here for him for the pain that he's to take every 6 hours as well as an antibiotic. His bandages will need to be redressed later today, but the main thing is I just need to get his strength up and have him move around a little bit to prevent any sort of arterial embolism."

Negan's face registered with both shame and hope. "You really don't have to do that, Beauty. You've done more than fucking enough. I'll be fine."

"Really," I said with far more certainty than I felt. "I need something to do so I don't lose my mind." Or at least, so I don't lose it worse than I already have.

"Alright, then." Dr. Carson gently patted Negan on the leg before walking over to me. "Thank you, Belle. I'll be back to check in soon." With that, he was gone and I was alone with Negan once more.

"You really don't have to do this," he said again, looking up at me. He shifted slightly to reach for the water on the makeshift nightstand but stopped, wincing in pain.

"It's already been settled." I found myself moving to his bedside, handing him the small glass. "How are you feeling?"

"Like refried shit and beans." He smiled weakly up at me as I sat down gently on his bedside.

He took a sip of the water but before he could attempt to place the glass back on the table, I gently took it back and replaced it for him. "I've heard that's a side effect of gunshot wounds." A pained expression flitted across his face as he chuckled lightly. "You should probably get some rest."

"You may find this hard to fuckin' believe but it's hard to get comfortable when you've been shot." He flashed me a mischievous smile and I felt something that resembled affection course through my body. "So, since we're both fucking here, we might as well get to know each other better."

"What's there to know?" I narrowed my eyes at him. You killed two members of my family. I became your prisoner, you saved my life, and I had every chance to escape but instead chose to save you. Clearly, I'm having some kind of a quarter life crisis. That pretty much sums it up, right?

"What did you do before…before all of this happened? Before the world went to shit?" He studied me carefully and I felt myself flush under his gaze.

"I was a librarian." I thought about the sweet faces of my students and wondered where they had ended up. I said a silent prayer for their safety. "At Finch Elementary School. Just outside of Atlanta."

"No fucking kidding." His eyes lit up. "I worked in education, too."

"Where? In a prison?" This guy couldn't possibly be serious.

"I could see where you might think that." He sighed, a soft smile playing on his lips. "I coached football at Northgate High School in Newnan. Go fucking Vikings….But I also taught English Literature."

I snorted, choking on my own laughter. "Yeah, right."

"That comes as a surprise to you?" He grinned up at me, his voice playful.

"Considering your affinity for using certain four letter words, yes, I find that very surprising. You have all of these words at your disposal, but you choose _those_." This bit of information intrigued me far more than I wanted to admit.

"You do realize that studies show that people who fuckin' curse are actually more intelligent," he mused, cocking his head to the side.

"Is that so?" I raised my brow at him.

"It sure fuckin' is, Beauty."

"Well, shit."

He burst into laughter, but instantly regretted it as pain ripped through his body. He groaned and his breath caught in his chest.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, my hand involuntarily grabbing his. "Are you alright? Can I get you something?"

"Are you kidding me? That was fucking hilarious." He looked up at me earnestly. " Can you help me into the living room? There's something I want to show you."

* * *

Carefully, Belle helped me to the living room, stopping frequently to let me catch my fucking breath. I leaned on her tiny frame and couldn't help but notice how good she smelled. Like some sort of flower I had never smelled before. She guided me to the couch and eased me down until I was sitting. "Thank you." She nodded at me as she looked around the room, her eyes zeroing in on the bookshelves. "That's my book collection. Every time I go out on a fuckin' run, I try to get something new. I've got some favorites up there and I've managed to find and a few I haven't read yet."

Her lithe fingers grazed the spines of the books and I couldn't help but to think back to the night before, her soft hand on my face.

"Anna Karenina, To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies," Her melodic voice listed off some of the titles that resided on these shelves that I knew by heart. She placed her hand thoughtfully on her cheek. "Romeo and Juliet?"

"See how she leans her cheek upon her hand," I recited from memory. "O, that I were a glove upon that hand that I might touch that cheek." She blushed self consciously, dropping her hand back down to her side. _Shit. "_ Sorry, I-"

"Wow….you really do know your Shakespeare." She looked impressed and it made me only want to impress her more.

"I was Romeo once." I couldn't believe I was fucking admitting this shit. "It was in high school but I was a damn good Romeo, I swear."

"Do not swear by the moon, for she changes constantly," she said softly, not looking at me, without missing a beat.

"Then your love would also change." _Fucking hell._ My heart jumped into my throat and I was completely intoxicated by this girl who somehow smelled like flowers even in an apocalypse. She pulled down a worn copy of _Charlotte's Web_ and sat down carefully on the other end of the couch, curling her feet up beneath her.

"My daddy used to read this to me when I would stay home sick from school." She opened the book, feeling its pages between her fingers, lost in a vision I couldn't see. Suddenly, she began to read aloud and I found myself entranced by her sweet voice. I leaned my head back into the couch, and found myself enamored with every syllable that came from her lips. Who knew _Charlotte's Web_ could be so fucking riveting? She continued to read, chapter after chapter, until finally I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Later that evening, Dr. Carson arrived to check on Negan who still slept peacefully on the couch while I continued to absorb the comforting words of _Charlotte's Web._

"Well, look at this!" Dr. Carson said softly. "You got him out of bed."

"I think it exhausted him though, because he's been out a while." I closed the book and set it down gently on the coffee table.

"Well, I'll come back and redress his bandages in a bit. He could probably use the rest." Dr. Carson nodded as he turned to leave again.

"Dr. Carson?" I asked, my voice a whisper. "Who's Emilia?"

Dr. Carson's face softened as he quietly made his way over to the chair beside me. "Emilia is my daughter."

"What a lovely name. How old is she?"

"Thank you. She's 11. She's…." He trailed off thoughtfully a moment. "Emilia and I used to live at the Hilltop. One day Negan came to collect from us and he came in the medical ward and saw me with her. She was on death's door. I thought I was going to lose her. Scarlet fever. At first, I thought he only took me out of spite to the community because I was a doctor. But when we got here, he showed me all of the medicine they had collected here. He brought us here because he saw my Emilia was sick. Because he brought us here, she survived." My brain couldn't process the words he was telling me. Negan saved his daughter? "She was so sick for so long…..it affected her heart. He's always asking about her and truth be told, she adores him."

I sat quietly, still trying to reconcile the man I saw just a couple of days before to the man I had heard described by Dr. Carson. To the man who had taken a bullet for me.

"I know it's…..confusing to say the least." Dr. Carson continued. "I'm not trying to excuse the things he's done. But I do think we all have our demons."

"How did his wife die?" My eyes flitted to the photograph that had shattered just the night before.

"I still don't know. He doesn't like to talk about it and the ones who were there when it happened stay pretty tight lipped," he sighed. "All I know is he and Lucille were with Simon, Dwight and Sherry in a large group of survivors together not long after the world went to hell in a hand basket. And something happened to her, but I still don't know what."

"I don't know what I'm doing, Dr. Carson." I said flatly. "This man has been a monster to me and my family, yet I'm only alive because he saved me. And then I hear stories like yours about him and it's like we're talking about two different people. I feel like I'm going crazy. Yet I feel indebted to him somehow. I feel a _kinship_ to him. Even as the words come out of my mouth I know they're crazy."

"You're not crazy." He reached over and placed a comforting hand on my knee. "But people are so rarely all good or all bad. Negan might be the more extreme version of that but its still true."

"I guess…" I gazed over at Negan watching the slow rise and fall of his chest. With his salt and pepper scruff and dark hair, he was actually quite handsome. I thought about the way he smiled, how the corners o this eyes crinkled just so. What was I even saying? Ted Bundy was attractive too, but he was also a serial killer.

Dr. Carson stood from his seat and crossed back over to the door. "I'm going to go check on a couple of other patients, but I'll come back to change his bandages in a bit. Why don't you go on down and get something to eat maybe? Take a little break?"

"I will soon." I nodded at him.

"It's awfully kind of you to do what you're doing." Dr. Carson said earnestly. "And I think that's something he needs. He needs to see there's another way of living." Before I could say another word, he was gone.

* * *

Later that evening, I went down to the dining hall and returned with dinner for both Negan and I back to his room with the help of Chip who talked animatedly as we ate our vegetables and macaroni and cheese.

"You should have seen it, Mr. Negan!" Chip chirped. "Miss Belle was fighting the bad man! She saved me!"

"I believe it, son." Negan's gaze drifted over to me. "She's a very strong woman."

"Yeah! She is!" Chip went on. "You should have seen her! She was like this! And this!" He emphatically made punching movements with his fists.

I giggled as I finished the last of my dinner and set the plate down on the coffee table. "What do you say we read some of _Charlotte's Web?_ Mr. Negan and I were reading it together earlier. Would you like to read with us?"

"Yeah!" Chip cheered, snuggling into my side as I picked up the book and opened it back up. Negan settled back into his spot on the sofa, his shoulder freshly bandaged from Dr. Carson. Once again I read for a long while until Chip was sleeping soundly beside me.

"Out like a light." Negan said softly as a light rap came from the door. Mrs. Potts entered the room quietly, taking in the vision of her sleeping son.

"I hope he wasn't much trouble," she whispered moving to gather him gently in her arms. "He's quite taken with you, Belle."

"I think we all are." Negan said, his face softened as a small smile caused the skin around his eyes to crinkle ever so slightly. I felt my face get warmer.

"I hope you feel better soon, Negan." Mrs. Potts smiled over at him as Chip settled into her arms, barely stirring.

"Thank you, Mrs. P." Negan nodded. "Dinner was delicious as always."

"I'll bring the dishes down in a minute." I said after her as she quietly slipped out of the room. Once she had closed the door behind her, I cleared my throat and looked over to Negan. "I should probably get you back in the bed before Dr. Carson gets back to check on you for the night." He nodded wordlessly, seeming almost downtrodden. I helped him to his feet and his muscular frame leaned on me as I steadily guided him back to his room. Once he was in the bed, I busied myself by fluffing his pillows and then tucking the covers securely around him. "There you are. Get some re-"

"Belle…" He grabbed my hand and looked into my eyes.

My voice came out as a soft squeak. "Yes?"

"Thank you for today." He gently rubbed the top of my hand with the pad of his thumb for a moment before seeming to catch himself and releasing me. "You didn't have to do that. And you had every reason not to. But it means a lot to me that you did."

"You're welcome." I gave him a small smile. I started toward the door but before I could reach the doorframe my own words betrayed me once more. "Negan?" I spun around to look at him.

"Yeah, Beauty?"

"Would you like me to come back tomorrow?" What am I doing? What am I even doing right now?

"Abso-fucking-lutely, I would." His face lit up. "Maybe we can do some more reading?"

"I'd like that." I nodded, then turned once again to leave.

"Good night, good night." His husky voice came softly behind me. "Parting is such sweet sorrow."

I paused in the door way, swallowing hard before turning back to look at him once more. "That I say good night till it be morrow."


	12. Something There

She asked to see me tomorrow! _She_ asked _me!_ I laid back into the pillow and sighed replaying the day in my head. She didn't even pull away when I grabbed her fucking hand.

I couldn't shake this feeling. It was something I hadn't experienced in so long, but it felt a whole lot like hope. For the first time, I felt like I had hope for something better. To _be_ fucking better.

There was a soft knock at the door and Doc Carson poked his head in. "Hey, Negan. Just wanted to check in on you before I hit the hay. How are you feeling?"

"Right as fuckin' rain, doc." I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face.

"Is that right?" He pulled his stethoscope from around his neck and listened to my chest until he nodded with what appeared to be satisfaction. "That wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that Belle spent the day with you today, would it?"

"It might." I admitted, a grin creeping back onto my face. "And it might have something to do with the fact that she asked if I wanted her to come tomorrow too. _She_ fucking asked _me_!"

Even Doc couldn't hide the shock on his face. "You really seem to have taken a shine to her. She's a very kind girl. Beautiful too."

"There's just something about her, Doc." I pictured her delicate face in my mind. "She's gorgeous, but she's smart too. She was a librarian back before the turn. She fuckin' loves books. And she's so goddamn sweet. She fuckin' took care of me all day and now she wants to come back tomorrow. I just can't believe it. I thought for fuckin' sure she would try to smother me with a pillow or some shit, but she seems to actually enjoy my company."

"Negan, if I may…" The doc had that tone he used whenever he was about to deliver bad news, like when we were almost out of important supplies. "Belle has been through a lot."

"And I'm the cause of a lot of that."

"Well, yes. That's true. I would just urge you to tread carefully. Watch your temper. Be gentle with her. You don't want to frighten her off."

"Would you believe me if I told you all I want to do is fuckin' protect her?" I sighed, grasping the edge of the blanket in my hands. "And make her laugh because her laugh is fuckin' magic."

"Sounds like you really care about her."

"I do, Doc." I looked up at him feeling just as surprised about this admission as he fucking looked. "I can't explain it, but I do."

"Then that does beg the question, if you really care about her, why don't you let her go?"

I felt heat rising to my face. He was fucking right. I should let her go. She didn't deserve this. Any of it. She didn't deserve what I did to her friends. And she certainly didn't deserve to have to put up with the likes of me. But I just couldn't bring myself to let her go yet. For the first time in so long, I finally felt fucking hope. Her fucking smile gave me something to look forward to and I couldn't let her go. Not yet anyways. Soon. But not yet.

"You should get some rest." Doc smiled sadly at me before turning to leave.

"Hey, Doc?" He paused in the doorway she had just been in moments before. "Do you believe people can change?"

"I do," he said simply. "I think we are only our past mistakes if we keep making them."

"You think there's fuckin' hope for me?"

"I do." He looked back at me sincerely. "I think there's hope for you and maybe even love if you're open to it."

 _Maybe even love._ Could anyone ever fuckin' love me again? Hell, I didn't even really like myself. "Thanks, Doc."

"Enjoy the moment right now. Enjoy how she makes you feel. And if you really care about her, use that. Use that to become the man she deserves. Even if she never chooses to be with you. Even if you have to let her go. Be the man she deserves anyway."

* * *

Several days later, Belle had convinced Negan to get out of his room one afternoon for some fresh autumn air. She set up a blanket near the garden for them to continue their daily reading outside. The first few days, Belle read out loud to Negan until he fell asleep and would pick back up when he would wake. They had begun to talk about the books they read until late in the evening when she would finally guide him back to his bed where they would talk a few moments more until Belle finally left him to rest. Mrs. Potts had taken to taking their dinner to Negan's room where she would often find them laughing together. The mood in the entire Sanctuary felt lighter, happier even.

Mrs. Potts stood gazing out the window over the kitchen sink where she could see them sitting together on the blanket, Negan pulling a book out of the inside pocket of his black leather jacket.

"What's going on out there, Mrs. Potts?" Simon's voice came from behind her and she jumped.

"Simon, boy!" She swatted at his arm with her dish towel. "You gave me a fright!"

"Those two sure have been spending a lot of time together." He squeezed her shoulder and smiled hopefully. "Negan has been a completely different person these last few days. He's been like his old self again, but I don't know, better. He's smiling for fucks sake! All the time!"

"Mr. Simon said a bad word!" Chip came barreling into the room right into Simon's leg.

"Sorry, little man." He ruffled the little boys mop of red hair before he took off back out of the kitchen.

"I've gotta say this is better than watching some romantic drama on Netflix." Arat said, from right behind Mrs. Potts and Simon who both jumped at the sound of her voice and then burst into laughter.

"We were just chatting about how much time they've been spending together." Mrs. Potts told her. "They sure are cute, aren't they?"

"You know, yesterday Negan asked me to find more books when we go out on our run later today," Arat offered. "He even said and I quote, 'Find me some fuckin' love stories, Arat. I need to expand my fuckin' horizons!' Can you believe it? Negan out here wanting love stories."

"He seems to be quite smitten, doesn't he?" Mrs. Potts mused as she watched the scene that unfolded before them outside. She saw the way he looked at her, like a man in love.

"What's going on out there?" Dwight's voice startled all of them as he peered out the window over Arat's shoulder. "She insisted he come outside with her today, you know? I was in the room talking to him about the run later today when she came in. I didn't think it was possible before, but I think she might like him too."

"Well, who'd have thought?" Simon said in disbelief.

"Who indeed!" Arat echoed.

"And who'd have guessed they'd come together on their own?" Dwight shook his head with a chuckle.

"We'll wait and see a few days more." Mrs. Potts watched as Negan tucked a piece of hair behind Belle's ear.

"Arat, we better get going." Dwight sighed. "They'll be ready to leave any minute now."

"I gotta go get Negan some love stories." Arat chuckled and kissed Mrs. Potts on the cheek before fist bumping Simon. "We'll see you guys in a couple of days."

* * *

"Hey, Mrs. Potts!" Sherry greeted coming into the kitchen a while later where Mrs. Potts continued holding vigil over Belle and Negan who still remained on their little blanket oasis near the garden. "Wow, they're still out there, huh? It's nice seeing him like this, you know?"

"It really is, isn't it?" Mrs. Potts looked over and saw Sherry staring at them wistfully. She knew instinctively that she was thinking about Dwight. "You and Dwight are going to have your second chance, love. I just know it. I feel things changing around here by the second."

"You know Negan hasn't had any of the wives around since she arrived." Sherry smiled over at Mrs. Potts. "He's basically dismissed us all. It's been quite a relief." Though Negan called them his 'wives,' the only real thing he required of them was companionship. Sure, he asked them to bring his meals to his room on occasion or help clean, but mostly he just wanted someone to talk to. Though most of the time he just went on and on with childish jokes, occasionally Sherry got to see through his facade and see the brokenhearted, lonely man he had become. "He seems to really care about her. It seems like she's brought something out in him. It's like he doesn't even try to be that same macho guy anymore."

"He's let his guard down." Mrs. Potts mused. "That happens when you fall in love."

"You don't think?" Sherry breathed, gazing out at them with a smile. "Could it be?"

Mrs. Potts smiled softly to herself. "I think there may be something there that wasn't there before."

* * *

I convinced Negan to leave the confines of his room one beautiful fall afternoon to take our reading outdoors on a blanket near the garden. "Only if I can pick the book," he'd said. I'd spent every day with him since the night he took that bullet for me and found myself more and more intrigued by him. To say I was conflicted was a gross understatement. I couldn't explain it, but I felt drawn to him. He was nothing like the menacing man we met that fateful night in the woods. Sometimes I almost forgot I was a prisoner. Sometimes I almost forgot he was the same man who took Glenn and Abraham. Almost. Those thoughts would come rushing back to me, but then I would see his face that night in the clearing when he saved me and something told me to keep trying to give him the grace he couldn't seem to give others. Or to himself.

"So, what book are we reading this afternoon?" I asked him as I settled on the blanket next to him,, feeling the sunshine kiss my face. "I take it you grew tired of _A Tale of Two Cities?_ "

"You better fucking believe it," he chuckled as he carefully extracted a book from the pocket inside his leather jacket and showing it to me. "I thought maybe we could finally read this one."

" _Romeo and Juliet."_ I sighed as a smile spread across my face. "I don't think I ever told you, but that's actually my favorite story of all time."

"Really?" He leaned in and cocked his head curiously. "I would have thought you'd prefer one with a fucking happy ending."

"I love happy endings. But I don't think they're exactly realistic. Even before…..all of _this_. And even though Romeo and Juliet die in the end, they still found each other, you know?" I sat thoughtfully a moment and looked over at him. "Some people go their whole lives without ever really knowing love. To me, that's the bigger tragedy."

"I never fucking thought about it like that." He looked at me, as if studying my face, memorizing it. "That's what I love about you, Beauty. You help me see things differently."

I felt my face flush under his gaze and looked down at my hands. Anything to keep him from seeing that he might be having an effect on me. Despite everything, he had a way of making me feel seen in a way I never had before. It still made my heart jump into my throat to see the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled. I looked back up at him to see him still gazing over at me. "Shall we start?" I extended my hand to take the book from him but he snatched it just out of my grasp.

"Not so fast, Beauty." He wagged his finger at me. "You've been so fuckin' sweet to read to me all this time. Today, I want you to sit back and let me read to you."

"Reprising your role as Romeo, I see." I teased him, raising my brow as he scooted closer so that he was facing me as he held the book out in front of him.

"The best goddamn Romeo Franklin High School ever saw." He winked at me and cleared his throat as he began to read. "Two households both alike in dignity in fair Verona where we lay our scene…" His deep voice spoke the words with perfect rhythm and inflection as he periodically glanced up from the page to look at me, as if trying to read me as much as he was reading the words off the page. I found myself getting lost in the words of the story I knew like the back of my hand, mouthing some of the words along with him.

As he got to the scene I knew by heart where Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time, he looked at me intently, lowering the book. "If I profane with my unworthiest hand. This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this. My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand. To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss."

I felt my breath catch in my throat as I recited the words I knew so well. "Good pilgrim, you do wrong, your hand too much. Which mannerly devotion shows in this; for saints have hands that pilgrims hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss." He gently placed his hand on mine and I turned it so that our palms grazed each other soft as a butterfly kiss.

"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?" His fingers danced gingerly in my hand before he laced them with mine.

"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer." I could feel my pulse pounding in my ears as goosebumps spread like wildfire across my body. The cool autumn breeze caused the pages to flap in his hand.

He laid the book down on the blanket, pages down and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do; they pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair."

I swallowed hard as his fingers grazed my cheek. "Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake."

He tangled his hand in my hair as he leaned into me so that I could feel the warmth of his breath at the corner of my mouth. "Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take." He brushed his lips against mine and kissed me soft as the breeze that swirled around us. "Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged."

"Then have my lips the sin that they have took." My voice was barely a whisper as I leaned into the comfort of his hand. It had been so long since I'd felt something like this or been touched by someone so tenderly that his lips felt like water and I was suddenly dying of thirst.

"Sin from my lips?" His voice was low and tantalizing as his lips curled into his signature mischievous grin. "O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again." His lips found mine once more and I felt his emotions begin to pour into me as his kiss became more fervent. For a moment, I lost myself clinging to him as waves of feelings crashed all around me. Yearning, wanting, needing, hoping, missing, lo…

Loathing. Anger. Hatred. I saw the man who killed Abraham in cold blood and then took Glenn from right beside me. I saw the man who tried to take Daryl prisoner, who carried me off without any care of what I had lost. What _we_ had lost. I wrenched my lips from his. "I can't do this."

"Belle, I-" His hand reached out to touch my face but I pushed myself to my feet, pulling away from him.

"No. I can't do this." I choked back a sob as I started walking back towards the entrance of the Sanctuary, but he jumped to his feet to follow me.

"Belle, wait! Please! Just talk to me." Negan caught up to me, grabbing my hand which I immediately yanked away from him, spinning around to face him.

"Talk to you about what?" I hated myself for crying, for letting him see the hurt he made me feel. "Talk to you about how you _murdered_ my friends right in front of me? For no other reason than the fact that you're a sad, lonely, pathetic excuse of a man." His face fell and he looked as though he'd physically felt the assault of my words. But I didn't care. I just wanted him to hurt as much as he had hurt me and my family. "Or maybe you want to talk about how we aren't on some first date at the movies. You took me _prisoner._ Congratulations, Negan. You must be really proud of yourself. You've made a whole community here of people, of prisoners, who are terrified of you, people who hate you."

"Belle, I'm so sorry." Tears began to streak down his cheeks which only fueled my rage.

"You're _sorry_?" I sobbed, overcome with grief. "No. You don't get to cry. You don't get to feel sorry for yourself. You did this. _You_ took my friends' lives. You took _my_ life."

"I'm so sorry. I know there's nothing I can ever say that will make this right, but please give me a chance to explain some things to-"

"Can't you see there is no explanation?" My entire body was shaking beneath the weight of everything I had lost. I should have ran when I had the chance. Why didn't I run? Why did a part of me want to run directly into his arms? This man who had caused nothing but pain and devastation. "You're a monster, Negan. A beast. Leave me alone." I closed my eyes so I didn't have to see the pained expression on his face because I already felt it. With that, I turned and ran back inside, past Dwight and Arat with a group of Saviors loading into vehicles near the gate, past the guards, and straight back to room 113.


End file.
